Just Say It
by Hazelynn
Summary: Albus Potter is now in his sixth year at Hogwarts, and believes he has found love. He knows it will disappoint his family and will get him ridiculed. Can he overcome all the obstacles, and will his love prevail?
1. Chapter 1

All my life, I've grown up with great things expected of me. Son of the famous Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived. Named after the greatest wizard of his time, Albus Dumbledore and for a wizard who sacrificed himself for love, Severus Snape. I wonder if my parents expected great things from me, and them named me accordingly, or if it was the other way around. Either way, I'm labeled, I'm noticed and sometimes I really don't want it.

I'm just Al. Drop the rest. Don't look at the rest, just think of me as Al. I'm a normal teenage wizard, struggling to balance studies with everything else. It's all I ever wanted to be.

I think if I was normal, it would be easier to admit to myself... I might even have found a way to act on my feelings, but people know me, and that holds me back. Who am I kidding... It's just an excuse but there's no way... Anyway, I suppose I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

The name is Albus Severus Potter but call me Al, and this is my story.

Albus woke to the sound of loud snoring, and promptly turned over, pulling a pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the noise. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Pulling over the pillow seemed to be as effective as shutting the screen of your window to block out construction work happening outside your door. After attempting to get back to sleep for a few minutes and failing miserably, Albus sat up and threw his pillow at the sleeping form on another bed. The snoring ceased, almost immediately, and the blankets began to move.

From beneath the sea of red blankets, a brown head of hair poked up, followed by a face contorted in a sort of half yawn, half stretch. Once finished, the other boy turned to Albus and mumbled a **"Good mornin**g." Albus rolled his eyes. The other boy hadn't even opened his eyes yet.

"**You were snoring again."** the grumpy teenager offered in explanation to his roommates rude awakening, untangling himself from the blankets and getting out of bed.

"**Was I?"** the other boy asked sweetly, with a smile. **"Aw, poor babeh didn't get enough beauty rest?" **the boy teased, his dark blue eyes now open, looking at Al, waiting for a reaction. He got none.

"**Get up and get dressed, Liam. We have charms, divination and potions today."** he said, quickly changing into his school robes and running a brush through his messy black hair. Liam pouted.

"**You're no fun, you know that?"** he protested before trying to wrestle his own way out of his bed. He obviously wasn't having much luck because by the time Albus was ready to go, Liam was thrashing on the floor with his sheet that he'd managed to rip off the bed. **"Bloody sheet!"** he exclaimed. His friend rolled his eyes and walked over. With one hard hank on the red sheet, Liam was free. He immediately bounded up and gave Albus a big hug. "**Thank you so much for saving me from the dreaded sheet!"** he said happily, trying to elicit a laugh from his friend. There was no laugh, but Albus did crack a smile. Liam was always playing around and exuberant. His attempt to cheer up the young Potter was a nice gesture, even if it was due to his snoring that his friend's mood was sour.

"**Hurry up and get ready, or we won't get to eat before class."** Albus said and Liam immediately let him go and began rushing around, grabbing everything he needed.

"**Give me 5 minutes!"** Liam exclaimed, in the midst of pulling on his pants. He nearly fell over again, and in doing so, managed to get a little chuckle out of Albus. Though, this time, he wasn't aiming for a laugh, this time.

Albus looked around. Their other roommate was nowhere to be found, but that wasn't too surprising. No one really knew where he slept, but it usually wasn't in his own bed. There were many judgments about him for it, but at least the other Gryffindor didn't seem to care.

Liam interrupted Albus' thoughts by flicking his friend on the nose. **"Hurry up, or we won't get to eat before class."** he teased, then headed out. Albus just rolled his eyes and made sure he had all his books before following his friend out of their dormitory and down into the Great Hall. Rose was already at the table, chatting with one of her female friends, Atria. Rose had a lot of friends besides Liam and Albus. They didn't even run in the same circles, a lot of the time. It was more that they were friends by default since they were cousins.

The two Gryffindors sat down, and Liam immediately piled his plate with food. Albus grabbed a couple things, then stared off into space, letting his mind wander. It was his sixth year now, and he still hadn't said anything... There was someone he really liked and had liked him for more than a year now, but there was no way he'd say anything. For one, his feelings may not be returned, his parents would most likely be horrified and his brother would no doubt never stop teasing him. No, it would be better to say nothing. Albus just wished that it didn't hurt so much. His eyes wandered over to them, but he quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught. He finished his breakfast with a bit of a sigh and followed Liam and Rose off to Charms.

Rose was the best in the class, when it came to charms. Liam, one of the worst. It was hilarious, really. Liam always tried to find a way to sit next to Rose and partner up with her. Albus wasn't exactly sure if it was because he wanted to get a better mark or was just trying to take her down a peg or two, since he was so terrible. Maybe it was a bit of both... you never really knew with Liam.

Class seemed so much more relaxed this year, since there were no impending O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.'s were still a year away, so Albus ended up spending a lot of time daydreaming. He daydreamt a lot, but no one ever really scolded him or called him on it. The Potter assumed it had something to do with his name. None of his teachers really had to worry about his marks, anyway. He did fairly well in school, except in potions. His father would joke and say that he must have had more Potter in him and it's too bad that he didn't inherit some of his namesake's abilities. Albus didn't really care for potions, anyway. It wasn't terribly fun, in his mind.

Next was divination and unlike his father and uncle, Albus actually really enjoyed divination. Not necessarily the whole _'look into my crystal ball and see your future'_ aspect, but the idea that everything was predetermined and there was a plan for him, a place that he was meant to fit into was kind of comforting. Liam didn't quite agree, but he stayed in it for some reason. Albus suspected it was so that he had another class in which he could copy the Potter's homework.

This was the first year that he was being taught by Professor Trelawney, since she only taught the N.E.W.T. level courses of divination. Her approach was much different than Firenze, but not too bad. She seemed to pick out a few that would have constant predictions and luckily, Albus had relatively escaped her eye. Today, they were working on ways to contact souls that have moved on, for short periods of time. It was really interesting, but not something that Albus figured he'd end up using.

Most people were working independently or in small groups, such as Albus and Liam, but the two were interrupted when Professor Trelawney came over to check on them. She had this misty look and asked to see the young Potter's hand. Hesitantly, he offered his hand to her and Liam stifled a laugh. Palm reading? In the middle of this class? They'd stopped learning about palm reading in fifth year. **"You will form a great love this year..."** Trelawney said, tracing her hand over his palm, and Albus wriggled a little, as it tickled. **"Keep your mind open to not only the supernatural."** she said, her eyes looking towards his book and notes. **"But also on those around you, in this realm."** she said, before moving on to the next person. Albus was slightly shocked, where had that come from?

"**Bet you she's hitting on you!"** Liam whispered as quietly as he could with all the excitement it contained, hoping the Professor didn't hear him. Albus just rolled his eyes and looked at his palm. A great love... He hoped that... but it couldn't be... Could it? He turned around to watch his professor, who was holding another students palm now. Ah... it was just her daily thing to confuse them. Still... a great love... Well, one could always hope.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. Thank you**_

Albus spend a lot of time in a daze during and after his divination class. Liam had at first tried to snap his friend out of it, but eventually gave up. He had no idea what was whirling around in his teenage friends head, and that was probably a good thing. Albus hated that Professor Trelawney's words had had such an effect on him. He should know not to take it too seriously, and yet he wanted to believe it. He was going over scenarios in which he'd tell his crush that he liked them... But it never worked out in his mind. It was so ridiculous to even be thinking these thoughts... to even consider...

Potions was last and Albus was almost glad. This was the one class he didn't share with Liam, because the other boy had flunked out of his O.W.L.S. for potions. Luckily, he didn't need it for his aspiring career and even though Albus had just managed to scrape by, he didn't drop potions. The main reason, is because he shared this class with his crush.

Albus almost always sat at the back of the potions classroom and his crush a few desks in front of him. He always managed to find time to look at them, which could be distracting. Perhaps that was why he didn't do terribly well in potions... The Potter sat down in his usual seat and dragged out his books under the pretense that he hated being here, when he was truly very excited. He just couldn't find it in himself to forget Trelawney's words...

There they were... their longer blonde hair, streaked with black, seemed to gleam. It looked to be the muggle punk-like style. It was different around here and Albus found it fascinating. He'd actually read up more on muggles after he'd figured that out. He often wondered if his crush was a punk, or just looked it to be different... It was hard to tell, when they hardly ever spoke. Albus spent the rest of the class staring at the back of his crushes head. Luckily, the lesson was in theory, not practice. The teenager most likely would have singed himself with how little he was paying attention, had they been potion making.

After class, the professor called Albus to stay after. He didn't feel good about this and sort of dragged his feet to the front of the room, only reaching the front where the professor was once everyone had left the room. Everyone but one person... his crush was standing, talking to the teacher. The professor smiled when he saw Albus approach... Smiling wasn't exactly a good sign. **"Ah, young Mister Potter. I was under the assumption that you were studying to be an auror, like your father, yes?" **the professor asked. Albus sort of made a yes gesture. He had once thought that, but it was mostly because he didn't know what else to do. **"Well, you'll need to have potions for that and your marks aren't... spectacular."** the professor continued carefully. Quickly, the Potter moved to open his mouth to correct him. He didn't want to be a hassle and have to work out something for potions. He could just drop it, really. But the professor spoke first. **"So, I've arranged for you to be tutored by one of my brightest pupils."** he said proudly, indicating the only other student in the room...

He turned to his crush who was already looking at him with pale blue eyes that were so light, they bordered on ice-like. Albus was suddenly glad that he hadn't said anything to the professor. Before him stood Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, the object of his affection and now, his potions tutor.

Once the teacher had formally introduced the two boys, they left the room. They hadn't exchanged any words. Albus was nervous, as was Scorpius. His father would not be pleased to learn that he was helping a Potter. Sure, they weren't rivals, but they were definitely not friends, or even on friendly terms. Scorpius turned to the other boy once they were partway down the hall.

"**Do you want to start the tutoring tonight, or another day?"** he asked. The other boy seemed dazed that Scorpius had spoken. The Slytherin found it a little strange, but the boy was a Potter. Of course he was strange.

"**Um, tonight's good, unless you have something planned."** Albus finally said. He was still in mild shock. He had to try hard not to stare at the Slytherin. He didn't really want to scare him off. Scorpius nodded.

"**I'll meet you in the library after dinner?"** the boy said, then walked on ahead. It was more of an order with an upward inflection. There was obviously no question. Albus just stopped and watched Scorpius walk away, observing the way the teenagers shoulder length blonde hair flowed as he walked, and how gracefully he stepped, until he disappeared around the corner. Albus then scolded himself inwardly. He'd definitely have to get a grip on himself before anyone noticed anything. The last thing he needed was to look like a lovesick puppy for Scorpius Malfoy. He gathered his thoughts and raced to the Great Hall to eat, so that he could study. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he was excited to study potions.

Albus didn't see Liam at dinner, but then again, he wasn't looking very hard and Liam could sometimes be difficult to spot, unless he was making a scene. Which, was actually fairly often... but it didn't appear to be the case now. He finished eating fairly quickly and nodded and waved to a few of his fellow Gryffindors who greeted him as he left the Great Hall, then he headed towards the library.

Scorpius was already waiting in the near empty library, and was sitting at a table alone, his nose buried in a book. Albus pushed away a few thoughts of how cute and almost mysterious Scorpius looked, while holding his old book, then sat down. **"Hey."** he said, not knowing what else to. The Slytherin merely nodded an acknowledgement to the other boys presence and continued reading, his finger sliding over the lines of the page quickly as he read.

Albus felt a little awkward, and finally rummaged around in his bag until he found his potions book and took it out. He hadn't had the chance to drop off his other books and was as careful as he could be to make no noise, since it seemed Scorpius wanted the quiet. After one more minute of silence, the Slytherin seemed to come to the end of what he was going to read and closed the book, before looking at Albus. **"Potions is a difficult subject that only the most powerful of wizards ever dare try to master. It takes patience and finesse, unlike some frivolous subjects, like divination." **Scorpius said, and Albus blushed a little, since he did in fact enjoy divination. **"It is an essential skill and before I actually agree to teach you anything, I have to know that you're willing to do all the work and try. Otherwise, this is just wasting our time."** he continued. Albus nodded. The guy was right and if h had to work on potions to be able to spend at least a little time near the Slytherin, then he would. **"Don't nod, say it, Albus."** the boy continued. Albus cringed at hearing his name out loud. Well... at least they established that they were on a first name basis. Their parents were on last names...

"**I'm definitely willing to put in the work in, Scorpius and call me Al. Albus is just weird."** the Gryffindor said with a smile. Scorpius nodded.

"**Alright... Al. Let us begin."** the boy said and they began to work through the theory. Albus was a little disappointed that he didn't get to call Scorpius by anything shorter, but one step at a time, right?

It was fairly late when Albus returned to his room and it was dark. He changed into his PJ's and crawled into bed, before immediately jumping up again. **"What the bloody hell?"** he exclaimed and pulled his blankets back. Liam was lying there, his eyes half open.

"**Dude, where were you?"** he asked groggily.

"**I'm being tutored for potions, cause I actually need it, unlike you."** Albus exclaimed. **"And why are you in my bed?"** he asked. Liam shrugged.

"**Well, if I waited in my own bed, I would have fallen asleep and you wouldn't have woken me up and we wouldn't have had this delightful conversation."** he said, gleefully. Albus just rolled his eyes, then sat down on his bed, pulling the covers back over him. After a minute, he looked over at his friend.

"**Aren't you going to go back to your own bed?"** he asked. Liam didn't move or speak for a moment, and Albus thought he might have gone back to sleep and was about to try to wake him when he finally responded.

"**Nah, it's more comfy here."** he said with a smile, then promptly rolled over, clearly intending to sleep. Albus thought for a moment, but there was no way he was giving up his bed. He crawled in and rolled over as well, hoping to get to sleep. The beds were pretty big, so they both had plenty of room. Albus remembered sleepovers the two had back in first and second year, over the summer. It had been a long time... These happy childhood memories were the last thing he thought of before sleep consumed him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer(s): I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. This story contains yaoi (boyxboy) If you don't like that, don't read it.**

* * *

Happy childhood memories of sleepovers were not what passed through Albus' mind when he first woke up. At first, it was shock, then horror. He'd been dreaming and it wasn't until he had fully emerged from the dream, that he realized Liam had his arms wrapped around him. He'd scooted over during the night and began to cuddle with the sleeping Potter. Albus just jumped out of bed, looking back at his friend with a sort of look that asked him what he was doing, but Liam was fast asleep. With a sigh, Albus got dressed and left the dorm.

There were no classes today, but Albus and Scorpius were planning to meet in the afternoon to continue working on potions. The way the Slytherin explained it actually made sense. It didn't seem so complicated when he was explaining. Albus felt that if he could keep his full attention on his work, it would be so easy to grasp onto. Then again... the young Potter was more often distracted than actually paying attention. One session and he was already fighting hard not to say anything to Scorpius. He just hoped it wasn't terribly obvious.

Albus wandered down to the Great Hall and grabbed a bit of something to eat, then left. He didn't look to see who all was in the Hall, and took great care not to look over towards the Slytherin table. He needed to compose himself a little before he saw Scorpius again. This was just a crush. Nothing to get all flustered about and imagine if Liam found out... or worse, James. He'd hold it over his younger brother for as long as he could, before blurting it out to their parents. No, this needed to be kept in check, and quiet.

By the time three rolled around, when the boys were meant to meet, Albus had not only failed in getting his mind off of the Slytherin, but was fidgeting, badly. He was scared that any chance he got, he'd blurt something out, but he was determined he wouldn't. He nearly lost it as soon as Scorpius walked in to the library. His arms were laden with books, and he looked a little dazed. His hair looked so beautiful, it made Albus want to run his hands through it. He shook those thoughts from his mind.

It only took Scorpius a moment before he spotted his pupil, and made his way over, setting down the books. **"Are you ready to get to work?"** he asked, without really looking up and began to sort through the books. Albus just nodded in answer, a little oblivious to the fact that Scorpius wouldn't see it, but the Slytherin boy didn't seem to mind. He pulled out their potions book and the boys got down to work. About one hour in, Scorpius put his head down on his book and groaned. **"How did you even pass your O.W.L.S.?"** he asked, his voice laced with a mixture of disdain and frustration.

"**What do you mean?"** Albus asked, feeling a little resentful. He knew he wasn't great at potions but he wasn't that bad. **"I passed just fine!"** he protested. The Slytherin looked up and Albus held his breath. He couldn't help but notice how intense Scorpius' gaze was, and how beautiful his eyes were, especially when they were so close.

"**You're hopeless, you know."**the boy said, but was smiling. Why was he smiling? Albus didn't know, but it made him feel as though he had butterflies in his stomach. Scorpius sighed and closed the potions book. **"Here." **he said, and rummaged through his stack of books and picked out a fairly thin one and passed it over. **"Read this, it should help things along. I expect you to have it read by tomorrow evening."** Scorpius said, before getting up and with a nod, he turned to leave. **"I'll see you later... Al." **he said, almost as an afterthought, seeming to almost stumble over the nickname. The boy then left the library, leaving a bewildered Potter behind him. He had to admit, he'd expected the tutoring session to be longer, but Scorpius probably had other places to be. Of course he did. Albus gathered up his things, along with the new book that his tutor had lent him, and made his way back to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

Scorpius rushed hurriedly through the halls, looking as if he was late for something important. He dodged around other students as efficiently as possible, heading towards the dungeons. He was nearly at the stairs to start heading down when something knocked into his side, sending him sprawling and his books flying across the floor. He watched as pages flew out of his books, cursing under his breath, but doesn't dare look up.

"**Hey there, buddy."** a sneer came. Scorpius half sat up, but still didn't look up, and allowed his hair to fall in front of his face. Suddenly, he was yanked up by the arm, and shoved against the wall. They were in the dark alley that led to the dungeons, away from prying eyes. **"Look at me."** the other boy hissed, grabbing a hold of Scorpius' cheeks and turning them towards himself. Scorpius' cold blue stare was met with angry brown eyes, and he matched the glare. **"Where have you been?"** the boy asked, the hand gripping the Slytherin's arm sliding down to wrap around his waist. Scorpius shrugged.

"**The library."** he muttered in reply, slightly looking away, but his face was pulled back again.

"**You should have told me."** the other boy said, leaning in close. Scorpius gulped as the other boy's lips crashed down on his, in a demanding kiss, which after a moment, the Slytherin returned. The other boy pulled back and began nibbling on the blonde's neck. **"You know I get worried when you disappear." **he muttered.

"**I know."** Scorpius whispered back, closing his eyes, his face contorted, almost as if in pain.

"**Say it." **the boy said, pushing Scorpius forward more, pushing their bodies even closer together, eliciting a small moan from the Slytherin's lips.

"**Please... please Dane..."** he let slip from his lips, and was rewarded with a strong nip on his neck, bringing forth another moan. After another moment, the other boy pulled away, with a grin on his face and ran a hand through his black hair, straightening it out.

"**I'll come visit you tonight. Be waiting."** he said, and with a wink, he walked back into the hall. Scorpius slid down against the wall, letting his hair fall in his face, and wrapping his arms around his legs. He was quiet for a few minutes, before he finally untangled himself and stood up. He set about picking up his books and papers, then wiped his face with his sleeve, then continued towards the common room. His eyes were red, and he sighed. Why... why did it end up this way?

* * *

Mae had been hanging out in the library, painting her nails. She had friends who were all busy today, and she hadn't really felt like hanging out in her room all day. Hufflepuff common room had been more boring than usual as of late. She did perk up, however, when one boy entered, who look flustered. He was soon joined by another, and they appeared to be studying. She left them alone, for the most part, but looked over every once in a while.

It took her all of half an hour to see it. The way the dark haired boy blushed every time the blonde looked at him. It was unmistakable. Once they'd both left, she went over to see if they'd left anything, but found nothing. She quickly made her way out and spotted the dark haired boy and began to follow. She didn't see the blonde, but he had left a few moments earlier. He headed to a portrait and said something, that Mae didn't happen to catch, then the painting opened and the boy crawled through. It was obviously one of the houses and from the robes, Mae guessed he was in Gryffindor.

After that, she made her way slowly back to her common room, humming the whole way. Once in her room, she sat down and removed an illusion charm she'd set on a bookcase. It appeared to have many old schoolbooks, but this image shifted out of existence, and was instead replaced with brightly colored books and titles. It was Mae's own manga collection. She took a couple volumes off the shelf and sat down on her bed with them. She was a hardcore yaoi fan, which anyone would have known by taking even a moment to look through her manga collection. She was so excited, because she'd found her own yaoi here at Hogwarts! She'd find a way to meddle if it was the last thing she did! After all, this year was shaping up to be pretty boring so far, so what else was she going to do?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer(s): I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. This story contains yaoi (boyxboy) If you don't like that, don't read it.  
**_~ Thank you so much for all your comments :) It makes me want to write this story that much faster! I will be getting to more action soon, I promise ^^ _

The book Scorpius had gotten Albus to read may have been small, and seemed fairly short, and still, the Potter was having a hard time getting through it. It covered a lot of potions basics and concepts, which didn't seem to be too difficult, but it did have a lot of elements of difficult theory that Albus could barely grasp. How did Scorpius get all this anyway? The admiration that he had for his crush increased as he read on, knowing that the Slytherin definitely already understood all this.

"**Hey, what's up?"** Liam asked, plopping down to sit next to Albus on the window seat, where he was reading. The boy looked up with a sort of blank look, obviously distracted. Liam laughed. **"Whatcha reading, anyway?"** he asked.

"**Percival's Guide to Proficient Potions."** Albus read off the cover. **"My tutor's getting me to read it. Says my grasp on potions and potions and potion making is atrocious." **he explained.

"**You're shocked by that?"** Liam asked, with mock surprise. **"I don't even know why you stayed in that awful course. It's so boring!"** he exclaimed, and fake yawned before he began playing with the end of his robes. It was a nervous habit of his that his friend was quite used to by now. ** "Who is your potion tutor anyway?"** he asked. Albus wasn't sure if h'd told him or not, but if he had, it seemed that Liam did not remember.

"**Scorpius Malfoy."** Albus said, enjoying having the name roll off his lips. Liam just made a face that seemed to be a cross of disgust and repulsed.

"**Ew, really?"** he asked and proceeded to shudder. Albus didn't really understand his friends reaction. Liam didn't know about his and Scoripius' fathers relationship, or lack thereof. **"I heard about him and Dane Equerra."** Liam continued to say. Albus raised an eyebrow in question.

"**What?"** he asked, not having any idea what his friend was on about.

**Well, Scorpius apparently threw himself on Dane. Dane's with him as a sort of pity thing. I dunno how he can handle the annoying git, myself."** Liam went on to say. Albus slammed down his book, loudly.

"**Take that back."** he hissed angrily, ignoring the stares of the others in the common room who had looked over, pulled in by the sudden loud noise. Liam just looked at his friend with surprise. Why would he be reacting this way?

"**Why? It's true. I feel sorry for Dane, though. Scorpius is apparently really controlling and possessive."** he said. At this, Albus said nothing but merely stood up, and stormed out. Even though Liam didn't understand why his friend was upset, he knew better than to go after him. He looked around to those who were staring and shrugged, as if that answered their questions and most turned back to what they were doing. Liam still looked back to where the Potter had disappeared. It was weird for Albus to get all defensive... What was going on with him anyway?

As soon as Albus found a place he could be alone and be sure not to be disturved (this turned out to be in the Astronomy tower), he let himself break down. He hated that he was crying, but he couldn't seem to help it. It was better than yelling, after all. He was angry at Liam for saying what he did, but then again, his friend didn't know about Albus or anything to do with the situation, so of course he hadn't been gentle. But still...

* * *

The image of Dane Equerra popped into his mind. The Hufflepuff was a major flirt and flirted with pretty much everyone he met. Well... if Scorpius was possessive and controlling, you'd almost have to be with a.. partner like that. Albus couldn't even bring himself to think of the word _'boyfriend'_, afraid that the word itself would bring on its own fresh batch of tears. Dane Equerra... What else did he know of him? Well, he played on the Quidditch team as a beater, and him and James didn't get along. That was enough to hate the guy, or at least be wary. Everyone liked James, even Filch, who hated everyone. It was a sort of charm he had.

The, Albus thought of Scorpius. Of his soft pale skin (Albus imagined it was soft, anyway), his icy blue eyes, his golden hair and his graceful, confident stroll. The idea of Scorpius and Dane together... Well, it nearly made the Potter sick. And his Scorpius? Throwing himself at someone? Really? The idea that he was controlling and possessive didn't even sit right. It didn't make sense, and all of this made a combination of anger and jealousy run through him. Why wasn't it him, anyway? Was Albus just not Scorpius' type?

And yet, with all these emotions running wild, the Gryffindor still felt a small glimmer of hope. Dane was a guy. This small piece of information comforted him to some extent. Maybe there'd still be a chance for them... right?

* * *

Scorpius hadn't left his room all day, and no one dared disturb him. Being a prefect had its perks, he had to admit. It wasn't even that he was tired. He hadn't really slept the night before, for a few different reasons, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep now that he was alone. He looked down at himself under the blankets, but quickly looked away and closed his eyes, pulling the sheet closer around himself. He wasn't surprised that he had bruises, but he hated seeing them. They brought back memories that he didn't want to have and he didn't want to create any more. This, however, seemed to be impossible, the way things were going. The only thing that could bring peace to the Slytherin's mind was that this was Dane's last year at Hogwarts and hopefully, this would be the end. They still had the whole year, but only one more year, with two prior to it.

Scorpius finally pulled himself out of bed and pulled on robes. He sat on his bed for a while, not moving. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave this room and have to act strong. To work hard to not let the others see how he felt. He was a prefect, a Slytherin. He was a Malfoy. He was not one to be pushed around. He was in charge. Yes. Even if this self image of himself supported the rumors, it was better than anyone else knowing the truth. Nothing could be worse than that... Oh, yes. He knew of the rumors, but there wasn't anything he could do. Not now. Not yet. Maybe there would be someday, but Scorpius was tired. Much too tired to do anything that could jeopardize his future or anything of that sort... Just so long as it didn't get back to his father. If it did, these bruises would be nothing in comparison.

Scorpius found a brush and began running it vigorously through his hair, not seeming to care how harsh he was being on himself. He had to go to the library. He was tutoring now, he had to think of others. Besides, Albus really could use the help. He was wonderfully terrible, and it made Scorpius feel smart, almost better about himself. Almost.

Once he was sure he was presentable, and knew nothing was showing from beneath his robes, he grabbed his books and left his room, his head held high. Dane Equerra may possess him, but he didn't rule him.

* * *

Mae had been waiting at the library for an hour and was starting to nod off. There was only so much history of magic textbook that could be read at once, without one either falling asleep, or going insane. Professor Binns was the most boring professor ever. Not even the fact that he was a ghost who was in fact a teacher, made it exciting in the least. Even though she was bored out of her skull, she had ulterior motives for being here. She was hoping that those two boys would show up. If she was lucky, she'd be able to catch one of them after their lesson and figure out their names. Hard to imagine things with only images, but it was definitely possible.

The blonde walked in first. He looked tired, but not overly so. He sat at the same desk that the two had been at the day before and looked around. Mae quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. The boy soon started reading one of the books he'd brought with him, and was obviously waiting, as was Mae now.

When the other boy did come, it seemed that he was quite late. The two boys seemed to argue for a few moments over it. Then they got to work. Was it just her imagination, or were they both sneaking looks at each other? She couldn't tell, but as bad a shape as the blonde had been in when he arrived, the dark haired boy was ten times worse. His eyes looked bloodshot, as if he'd gotten no sleep at all or had been crying... Mae just watched the two boys and let her mind drift. She couldn't believe how lucky she was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer(s): I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. This story contains yaoi (boyxboy) If you don't like that, don't read it.  
**_~ Aw, more comments! Thank you so much for keeping up with this story :) I'm currently one and half parts ahead of my posting and if I get far enough ahead, I'll post every day instead of every two days. Thank you again! Hope you enjoy this part :)~ _

It took Albus awhile to calm down and he immediately tried very hard to look as if he hadn't been crying. He ran back to the common room and grabbed his books before booting it towards the library. He already knew he was late, and he hoped Scorpius wouldn't be angry. The Slytherin was definitely miffed. Albus could tell when he sat down. The air had a chill to it, at least, more than it normally did. Albus began to apologize immediately but was cut off by the other boys glare.

"**If you're going to waste my time, there is no point to this."** he said coldly. Albus swallowed and nodded.

"**I'm sorry."** he said, and offered nothing else since he knew that most likely, nothing else would be accepted. Scorpius glared at him for a few more moments before nodding.

"**Did you read the book?"** he asked. There seemed to be a sort of sigh in his voice, or disappointment of some kind. It seemed that he didn't believe Albus would have had it read. The boy simply nodded.

"**I did. I got nearly all the way through."** he said and was met with a surprised look. He liked that look with those icy blue eyes. Even when he knew what he'd done, this boy was still making him melt.

"**Well, good. Now, let us see what you've learned and build up." **Scorpius said, sounding quite pleased, and he was smiling. He was smiling at him! Albus beamed, before turning back to the books, working to get better at potions under the tutelage of his favorite Slytherin.

* * *

They weren't done for a while longer this time. They worked for nearly two hours, before Scorpius gave him homework and set him on his way. The tutor was harsh! But then again, Albus was already meant to have learned most of this... The homework was tremendous but it was worth it to see the Malfoy smile at him.

On his way out of the library, Albus almost dropped one of his books and when he grabbed for it, he ran into someone. He fell backwards, but didn't fall, catching his balance with the help of a table behind him. His victim, however, hadn't been so lucky. On the floor in front of him was a girl who seemed vaguely familiar, but he definitely couldn't place her. Maybe they had a couple classes together.

The Gryffindor quickly put his books down on the table behind him, before reaching his hand out to help the girl up. She took his hand with a smile and got up, brushing off her skirt, and flipping one of her pigtails over her shoulder. Her hair was a mousy brown... it reminded Albus of his Aunt Hermione's hair, but it didn't seem quite so bushy. Her eyes were a blue, fairly dark, from what he could tell, but he wasn't really looking hard. He was just trying to make sure she was alright.

"**Are you ok? I'm so sorry about that!"** the Potter exclaimed, quickly making sure that the girl didn't seem to have any bruises. The girl giggled. It was high pitched and grated a little on his ears.

"**Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I should have been looking where I was going."** she apologized, and with a smile, she put out her hand. **"I'm Mae Langley."** she introduced.

"**Al Potter."** he said, returning her handshake. She had a strong one. That was the first thing he noticed. Second, it seemed to last a little too long. Not awkwardly so, but those extra couple of seconds that just make you think about it. **"Um, are you a sixth year? You look really familiar."** Albus asked, almost apologetically, as if he didn't want to offend. The girl, Mae, smiled.

"**Yeah, I'm in Hufflepuff. We've probably had a couple classes together." **she said, with a smile. **"So, what are all the books about?"** she asked, nodding her head towards the pile of books he'd left on the table.

"**Potions."** he said and made a face. She laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound, but it seemed to be growing on him. **"I'm being tutored so that I can get the hang of it."** he explained. He wasn't exactly sure why he was explaining it to this stranger, but he was nonetheless. She nodded.

"**Yeah, it definitely isn't the most fun."** she agreed. **"Well, I suppose I better be off. I'm meeting some friends in a bit. I'll see you later, Al."** she said and with a little wave, Mae bounded off, out of the library. Albus was stunned for a few moments. _What a strange girl_... he thought, then grabbed up his books and headed back to his common room.

* * *

Scorpius stopped by the kitchens before he went back to his room. He'd missed dinner, and to be honest, he hadn't really wanted to eat at all, but he grabbed a little something anyway. The house elves were just as accommodating as ever, and once he had finished, they whisked him out and he headed back to the dungeons.

The Slytherin walked back slowly, taking his time. If Dane planned to find him, he would, and if Scorpius could be in a hallway where the older boy wouldn't be able to do or say as much, it would probably be better. He had to admit, he was almost glad for this tutoring. It gave him some time to sort out his thoughts. While Albus, well, Al worked, he got the chance to go over things in his mind without worrying about being interrupted. He was pretty sure that the Gryffindor wouldn't let Dane pull him away, in the middle of a session.

It also gave the Slytherin a chance to go over some more potions. Potions was his passion, really. He loved it and that was pretty much why he'd volunteered as a tutor. He wanted to share that love with others, if possible. He knew that Al didn't like potions, but he seemed to be getting through and he was glad for it. Things even seemed to be a little less awkward now. Scorpius hadn't really known how to act around Albus at first, since he was, in fact a Potter. The Malfoys don't like and don't associate with the Potters. It was a hate, or feud, but it was definitely recognized. Scorpius was glad that Albus seemed to be ignoring this and he had decided to do the same. Besides, what his father didn't know, couldn't kill him.

When Scorpius arrived back at the common room, it was littered with many students, most of them in younger years than Scorpius. He attended to any questions and things of that sort, since he was meant to as Prefect, then went to his room, a sure sign for no one to disturb him. It was dark in this room, and once the door was closed, he let out a sigh. Tomorrow, he'd have to go to classes again. He wouldn't be able to stay in his bed for long periods of time and mope, so to speak. He needed rest so that he could bear to face another day.

The sudden grip on the back of his neck and lips crashing down on his meant no rest. Scorpius stiffened in surprise and a combination of other emotions, as Dane invaded his mouth. **"I've been waiting for you."** the older boy rasped once he'd broken away. He lifted Scorpius up and threw him down on the bed. The Slytherin tried to hold himself steady so that he didn't bounce and it didn't hurt. He somewhat succeeded and moments later, Dane was lying next to him, nipping at his neck and pulling at his clothes. Scorpius just lay still and let Dane do what he was going to do. He'd learned long ago that to fight, meant more pain than it was worth.

When Dane finally seemed to be finished, he gathered Scorpius in his arms and fell asleep, holding the Slytherin possessively towards him. The Malfoy, in the meantime, turned towards the window. It was enchanted, like that of the Great Hall. It mirrored what was seen out of one of the higher windows in the castle, so that he could see the moon, even though he was in the dungeons. The moonlight betrayed him, glistening on his cheeks, showing the otherwise hidden and silent tears.

After some time, Scorpius drifted off to sleep as well, knowing that he wouldn't have long before Dane was awake again, ready for more.

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, Al woke suddenly, sitting up and sweating. His dream had started out wonderful. He'd been talking to Scorpius and he'd leaned in to kiss him for the first time. Well, in the dream, it was the first. He'd had many dreams like that. But he didn't reach the boy and suddenly, he realized he was actually chained to a wall and was watching as Dane kissed Scorpius, pulling him into a hug. Al had yelled out, but no sound had come and he was trying to rip himself free, as Scorpius seemed to look at him with pleading eyes, when the Potter had woken. It had been horrifying.

Albus lay back down and looked out to the moon. It seemed to be quite bright tonight. He tried hard to push the dream from his mind, but was having difficulty. Scorpius' eyes looked so sad and so fearful. Why? Albus couldn't answer it and after nearly an hour of restlessness, he finally managed to slip back into dreams that held no sign of the object of his affection.


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Note: I would also like to apologize for being so long to get a new chapter up. I had a bad bout of writer's block but have one other chapter written after this, and am still writing, so I believe this story is officially off hiatus and back on track. The time off also gave me a chance to think about where this was going. I hope you (the reader) enjoy. Thank you._

* * *

Monday morning. Albus woke and greeted it with a groan. The sky held just a hint of pink, indicating that the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. If Al didn't have to be up at that time, he would have been more appreciative of the view. Quidditch practice was due to start soon. He rolled out of bed and began gathering some things. He put on some of his gear that he had in his room, the rest he left at the pitch in one of the lockers beneath the bleachers. Al then left the room as quietly as he could, so as not to wake Liam, and shut the door behind him. He met no one else as he crossed the common room and swung open the portrait and left, ignoring the Fat Lady's protests at being woken early.

He made it out to the pitch a bit later, knowing that he'd be the only one there. It was his habit to always leave and be ready by the time everyone else arrived. There were multiple reasons for this, the two most important being that he didn't want to do any changing with the other Gryffindors and he got a little more time to think this way. Mostly, he thought about Quidditch, but today, his mind was otherwise occupied. Not with potions as it was most likely meant to be, but with Scorpius and his situation. He felt anger and jealous course through him every time he thought of Dane Equerra. It just wasn't... well, fair. Al hated that he was being childish about this, and worked to get a grip on himself.

By the time most of the other members of his quidditch team had arrived, he'd resolved to ask Scorpius about it at the first possible chance. He hoped he'd keep that resolve but wasn't sure if he'd even remember to ask... He forgot a lot of things when he was around the Slytherin.

"**Hey there, little buddy!"** a loud voice proclaimed as someone wrapped their arm around Al's neck in a sort of wrestling lock. Al looked up and rolled his eyes.

"**Quit it, Jamie." **Al retorted and began to try to get out of his older brother's grip. James just laughed at his little brother's struggles and did so for a minute or so before releasing him.

"**So, what's got my little brother so preoccupied, hmm?" **he asked, looking at his little brother. Well, he wasn't so little. The two boys were nearly the same height, Albus being perhaps one inch shorter than his older brother. Albus just shrugged, staring at the ground.

"**Nothing much."** he muttered, before going down on one knee and 'fixing his shoe'. Albus wasn't great at lying, and he knew it, so he hoped that his brother would just drop it. He didn't seem to be so lucky.

"**Really? Nothing?" **James said and laughed. **"You should be thinking about potions, from what I hear."** he said, giving his brother a devilish grin. The one he was near famous for. Albus looked up, blushing. Did his brother have any idea about Scorpius? Or was he just teasing about the tutoring. From the smile, Al couldn't really tell. **"I know, Dad will be so proud."** he said, with another laugh.

"**Oh, come on! Don't tell him. That's not fair, Jamie! It's not my fault I'm not God's Gift to Everyone."** he scoffed, standing up, and glaring at his brother. James rolled his eyes.

"**Oh, don't get your feathers all ruffled, Al. I won't tell em, unless they ask, and we both know they probably won't."** he said and smiled. Al felt like lunging for his brother. He was always a tease, but when it came to his tutoring and Scorpius, Albus just didn't exactly have much tolerance. **"Who's your tutor, anyway?"** James asked, pulling on the last of his quidditch equipment.

"**Scorpius Malfoy." **Albus said, again relishing the feel of the name on his lips, but careful not to let it show. That was one thing he did not need his brother teasing him about. James looked at him, and blinked.

"**Ew... No wonder you don't want mum and dad to know!" **he said and laughed. **"Not much love lost on the Malfoys."** he continued and with one last smile and a wink towards his brother, he stood and called everyone out to the quidditch pitch. A James was indeed the Quidditch captain. He mostly had the position due to his charisma, but his friend, Reagan, was the one who actually kept in charge of things.

He got everyone's attention before Reagan called out the drills we'd start with and everyone set off and began doing them. If there was one thing that could be said about Reagan, it's that she knew how to run a tight ship.

* * *

Albus got back to the room, exhausted, and showered quickly before running off to class. Liam was already gone, surprisingly. Usually that boy waited around until the last minute, especially with morning classes. As soon as he was ready, Albus set off for the grounds again, running at near breakneck speed for Hagrid's hut and his Care of Magical Creatures lesson. This was another class he quite liked, and was pretty important if he did want to be an auror. You had to be familiar with all forms of different magical creatures, and Hagrid sure knew how to find some obscure ones.

He saw it, nearly in slow motion and tried to stop but he'd been running too fast. He ran right into someone, and knew who it was before he'd hit them. Albus immediately jumped up and offered his arm out, muttering a thousand apologies per second. Scorpius Malfoy looked up at him, his icy blue eyes clouded with confusion, but they cleared in a moment, and were replaced with a combination of anger and something else that Albus couldn't place. The Slytherin sat up and stood on his own, ignoring the Gryffindors outstretched hand.

"**It's fine. Don't let it happen again."** he said simply. Albus blushed deeply, hoping that Scorpius and his friend who was there assumed it was only from embarrassment. Scorpius turned back to his friend and they continued their conversation that it seemed Albus had interrupted and after he was sure that they had decided to ignore him, Albus continued down the slope, still heading for Hagrid's hut, but not hurrying quite so much this time.

* * *

Scorpius walked down the slope, continuing to make small talk with Patricia, a fellow Slytherin of his year. They didn't have all that much in common, but they were both prefects, so they did know a bit of each other. She was going on about the herbology homework that they'd completed over the weekend. She had a thing for plants. Scorpius made the pretence of listening intently, but let his gaze wander towards Hagrid's hut, which Albus had reached and was speaking with a boy that he was often with. A surge of something ran through Scorpius and he didn't quite understand it, so he let it slide.

He turned his eyes away, not wanting to see whatever creature Hagrid had for this week. He wasn't great with animals, and was pretty afraid of them. His father's dog was a big part of that. A combination of that and a few frightening classes with Hagrid was enough to make Scorpius avoid the subject completely as soon as he'd been able. Without another thought towards Albus, his friend, or scary animals, Scorpius walked on and into the herbology greenhouse for his lesson. He needed to learn how to grow some of his own potion ingredients, after all.

* * *

All day, Albus ended up wandering around his classes in a sort of daze. Liam had tried to snap him out of it, but hadn't been able to and had eventually given up. Albus hadn't even noticed this. He was in a sort of euphoria. He knew now. Scorpius' skin was indeed soft. He'd felt it when they fell, even though he'd jumped up quickly, he'd had the chance to feel the soft skin of his hand. He'd also discovered that beneath his robes, Scorpius was quite thin. It sort of made sense, since he often did not attend meals in the Great Hall. Albus had just assumed he missed him all the time, but perhaps it was just that the Slytherin didn't eat much.

Thinking that made him worry. That was another thing he'd have to try to talk to Scorpius about... eventually. But first, he intended to ask him about Dane. It was something that the Gryffindor just couldn't accept and he intended to hear out Scorpius' side. Part of him was convinced that what Liam had said was a lie and the other part was terrified that it was true. He didn't know, but he knew that he needed to... Soon, and preferably before it ate him up alive. Liam was already starting to notice that he was acting strangely and soon enough, so would James.

Even if it was more difficult now, Albus was still happy that he was getting time with Scorpius and knew that he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

* * *

Mae sighed. It had been a whole week since she'd discovered her very own yaoi couple here at Hogwarts, at least, she was pretty sure of it. But it was moving so slowly! She had half a mind to jump in and just push them together to see what happened. She flipped through her latest manga, barely paying attention to the pages, before placing it back on the bookshelf and casting the enchantment on it so that no one could see how it really appeared. Her roommates thought her weird enough as it was. Mae checked the time, and smiled. It was almost time for the tutoring. Yes, she'd figured out what was going on with what Al had told her and just by watching them. She knew that it was potions, and she hoped that they wouldn't be moving away from the library and into the dungeons for practical teaching... at least not yet. Not until she figured out a way to follow and watch them.

With a quick tug on one of her pigtails, and straightening her robe, Mae bounced out of her room, through the common room, and off towards the library. When she came up on it, she snuck into her usual spot and to her surprise, the blonde one (who she still hadn't named) was already sitting at the table, as was someone else. They leaned in and said something to the boy, who seemed terrified, then kissed him and walked away. When the kisser turned, Mae saw who it was and a combination of horror and wonder filled her. She knew now, that things were definitely going to get interesting...

* * *

A whole week... and Al still hadn't got up the nerve to ask Scorpius about his... relationship with Dane Equerra. It was keeping him up at night and eating at his mind. Liam had noticed, and James was onto him. Even Professor Trelawney 'sensed' something was amiss. That part had made him laugh. At least she didn't pick on him too much though.

Al arrived at the library and ended up nearly running into someone who was hurriedly on their way out. They didn't apologize and just kept walking. When Al turned, he realized who it was. Dane? What had he been doing there? A sort of chill came over the Gryffindor and he immediately rushed inside to his usual tutoring table. Scorpius was there, his hair covering his face, reading a book. Al sat down quietly, and just looked at the Slytherin who didn't respond or really move for a few minutes. When he did look up a bit, Albus could see a faint shininess on the other boys face and his lips looked red. All of the sudden, he found the courage that had eluded him all week.

"**Scorpius..."** he began quietly, so that no one else would hear, if they happened to be nearby. **"What is going on between you and Dane?"** he asked. It wasn't what he'd rehearsed. It didn't have the casualness he'd been aiming for in his rehearsals. This was filled with concern, anger, jealousy and hurt, as if he couldn't decide what to feel. Scorpius immediately looked up at the Potter, his pale blue eyes were lined with red and opened wide, perhaps in shock. Albus wasn't quite sure.

"**N-nothing."** Scorpius said, but it didn't hold much conviction. Al just shook his head.

"**Scorpius, look, I know we don't know each other all that well and that we're probably supposed to hate each other. But, I don't hate you, I..."** he started, but suddenly went silent and blushed. Albus couldn't believe he'd almost said that... But at least he hadn't.** "I'm worried about you."** he finished, proud of himself for dodging that bullet. Scorpius was still surprised, he could tell, and there was a hint of something else... what was it? It only took a moment before Al realized.

"**How dare you!"** the Malfoy hissed, slamming his book closed. **"I don't know who you think you are, but I don't like what you're implying." **he continued on, not realizing that by saying this, he was crushing the Gryffindor with the unwilling admission of his involvement with Dane. After all, Albus hadn't really implied anything... All he'd done was ask a question. **"We're done here." **Scorpius said in a quiet, but commanding voice which definitely held some malice. If he hadn't been so heartbroken, the Potter would have been in awe at how that voice could convey so much at once.

Scorpius grabbed his books and all but shoved them in his bag. The bag wouldn't close, but the Slytherin didn't seem to care. He just began to storm off. It took a moment for Albus to respond, but he did, and jumped up after the other boy, leaving his own bag at the table and running after him. He caught up part way down the hallway, and grabbed Scorpius' sleeve. He had been aiming for his arm, but the other boy had been moving too fast for him to make it. The sleeve lifted a bit and Al caught the glimpse of a bruise. His eyes immediately went wide as Scorpius whirled around to face him.

"**How dare you!" **he exclaimed, but it wasn't loud. It was that threatening hiss from before that would have sent chills down any normal person's spine but Al was a man on a mission. He'd seen something on his crush that he didn't like and he wanted it explained and the person punished, if it had been a person responsible that was.

"**How dare I?"** was Albus' reply, in an equally menacing tone, but it was definitely louder and probably held a lot more malice. As Albus said this, he pulled Scorpius closer and lifted up his sleeve so that the bruise was plainly visible. Scorpius' eyes went wide, and then narrow as he ripped his arm away. He stalked away and Albus followed, closely. Finally, the Malfoy dodged into a dark classroom and Albus followed. It took a moment for Al to find Scorpius again who seemed to have disappeared, but he whirled around as the door slammed behind him. For a moment, he thought that his tutor had made an escape and most likely locked the door to delay his pursuer a few moments, but he hadn't Scorpius was standing in front of the closed door, just looking at him.

His black-streaked blonde hair was glistening in the moonlight that was shining through the windows. It showed how late in the evening it was. Their tutoring always had to be late and for a split second, Albus was glad it was because the sight was breathtaking. However, he immediately mentally slapped himself for thinking this. Now was not the time.

"**Why would you do that?"** Scorpius said and it was so quiet that Albus almost hadn't heard it. If it hadn't been so deathly silent in this room, he wouldn't have heard.

"**Why would I do what?"** he asked in return, completely oblivious to the upheaval he'd wrought in his crush's heart.

"**Why would you accuse me of something that's common knowledge by rumour anyway?"** he began, his voice full of anger, and it was starting to get a little louder, for which the Gryffindor was almost thankful. The silent anger had been so much more terrifying to him.** "Why would you dare show my..." **Scorpius went silent then, gripping his sleeve. Albus then realized that people didn't know... of course not. The rumour was that Scorpius was abusive and controlling. But it seemed... that it was really the other way around... If it was, things in Albus' head just began to make a lot more sense. He had the urge to do it, and before he'd realized what he'd done, he was standing in front of Scorpius. The Malfoy was looking at the floor, and Albus was almost sure that he was hiding tears behind his hair.

In one quick movement, before he could think, he pulled Scorpius close to him and hugged him. To him, it was tight, but he was careful that it wasn't too tight. He didn't want to hurt the other boy. He just wanted him to feel better... he looked so alone... so afraid... The hug lasted nearly a full minute before it ended, and ended badly. Scorpius suddenly pushed Al away, so hard in fact, that the Gryffindor landed on the floor. He gripped at his elbow that had taken a good brunt of the fall, and looked up at the Slytherin.

The bloodshot blue eyes were cold, and angry. **"I don't want you near me, ever again, Albus Potter. I am none of your business."** he hissed, and with that, he turned and nearly raced out of the room. It was the first time that Albus had seen him do so. That confident stride of his, no matter how quick it was, had never broken into a run as it did then.

Albus sat on the floor for awhile, and barely moved while he sat. It was nearly twenty minutes before he moved and picked himself off the ground and went back to the library to retrieve his books. There was one book left on the table. A fairly big one too. The Potter took a look at the cover, which read, _'1001 Potion Ingredients you can Grow Yourself'_. He deduced that it must belong to Scorpius and picked it up, placing it carefully in his bag. He smiled as he slowly made his way back to the common room. He'd seen another side of Scorpius, and even though he was somewhat scared of it, his admiration for his crush had merely grown. He also now had an even greater desire to protect the other boy.

Even though Scorpius had told him to stay away from him forever, he had the other boy's book. At least that would guarantee him a little more contact. He hoped that if he gave it time first, it would be contact that would stretch to be more instead of the last time they would ever speak.

Albus didn't even change out of his robes. He just dropped his bag, before he himself dropped onto his bed. He was asleep in moment, off dreaming of Scorpius and how he would save him from the _'evil' _Dane Equerra.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you. _

_And, a little shout out to NickelRamaMetalHydride and 'Mae's Best Friend' for the comments, they are much appreciated ^^ Enjoy the new part!_

* * *

Scorpius ran towards the dungeons and once inside the common room, he fled to his chambers. He didn't care who saw him flustered. Didn't care who saw the tears. He was so thankful that Dane had not decided to visit him tonight, or at least, had decided not to wait for him in his room. The Malfoy wasn't sure how he would have responded at this point. He flopped down on the freshly made bed and just let it all pour out.

He wasn't even sure why he was quite so upset. This day was merely the same as any other. The only difference was Albus. Why did he care so much about that? The boy meant nothing. He was nothing. And yet still... Scorpius couldn't deny that he'd enjoyed that hug. He'd felt safe. At home. Something he hadn't felt for a long time. But he couldn't allow himself to fall into a lull, to believe that was somewhere he could be. Besides, all Albus Potter felt for him, was pity. If there was one thing Scorpius Malfoy couldn't stand, it was pity.

After a few more minutes, he sat up, his back rigid and confident as he usually was. He wiped his face with his sleeve and looked over towards his mirror. He looked tired, but fine. Tomorrow was a new day, and he had one night to pull himself together before he had to face the world again. One night... and it was all he ever seemed to need.

Mae was disappointed after that night. The two boys had obviously had some sort of spat. That much she'd gathered, before they'd run off. She'd let her mind wander many times since that night, wondering what they might have gone off and done... But they didn't come back to the library. Mae wasn't sure if the tutoring had stopped, but she'd checked the dungeons on a couple of occasions as well and hadn't found them. To her knowledge, Al either wasn't being tutored or they'd moved to some other location that she didn't know.

* * *

Mae had considered asking Dane what was going on. They were in the same house, even though they weren't close, but she didn't want to risk getting involved. Not until she knew a little more of the story, if not the whole thing. No, not yet. She did start keeping her eyes peeled and open for an opportunity to catch Albus and talk to him a bit. The blonde, she rarely saw outside of those library sessions. She wondered if they were in the same year or not, or if it was in fact someone she had once known who had changed their appearance a bit. She hadn't really kept track of her classmates.

By the time Halloween rolled around, Mae was definitely getting impatient. Things needed to start moving on their own, soon, or she'd definitely find a way to poke her nose where it obviously didn't belong.

* * *

Nearly a month. Albus had been slowly getting more and more depressed as he realized that there was little hope of ever speaking to Scorpius again, at this rate. Whenever he saw the boy in the hall, he'd turn the other way and in class, he never looked back and always avoided the Potter at all costs. Albus' potions mark was also in the gutter. His professor had asked about it, and it had been Al who told him that the tutoring hadn't worked out. The teacher seemed sympathetic enough, but said that since there was a little improvement, he'd give him a bit more time. Though Albus should have been grateful for this, he couldn't really bring himself to care. Very little seemed to matter much and every time the Slytherin rejected him with glances or by walking away, his heart fell a little further.

"**So, who died?"** a voice asked, making Albus' head lift up. He was in his divination class but barely registered anything that he was meant to be learning. Both Liam and Professor Trelawney had taken the hint not to speak to him while he was in this state, but obviously, someone hadn't gotten the memo. It was Cassandra who was speaking to him. She was a Ravenclaw student, one year younger than him, who had managed to jump ahead in her divination studies, though no one really seemed to know how. **"Well? Who was it?"** she asked again, twirling a strand of her short black hair around her finger and playing with the ring on her lip. She had multiple piercings, which was a sort of muggle trend and one Albus didn't quite understand.

"**Huh? No one died."** he finally answered, realizing that she didn't seem to want to let the issue go. She gave him a scrutinizing look.

"**Hmm... well, then who broke up with you?" **she asked with a sort of sad smile. Albus wasn't sure if she knew something or was just making guesses. He guessed it was the latter.

"**No one."** he replied shortly, looking to his book, trying to cut off the conversation.

"**He needs your help you know."** she said softly. Albus immediately looked up, but her eyes were now in her own book and she seemed to be reading it intently.

"**W-what?" **he asked, but she didn't respond, just continued reading quietly. Even though Albus tried a couple more times before the class was out, she didn't speak to him again. Not until the end of class. She caught his sleeve as everyone was leaving and gave him a smile that seemed to hold some pity.

"**If you love him, you have to let him know. He won't come on his own and if you don't do something soon, it may be too late. He's breaking."** she said, then walked off, leaving a bewildered Albus in her wake. Did this girl know Scorpius? Know his situation? If so, how? Sure, she was a bit of a friend. They both loved divination and had often studied together, but he hadn't ever told her anything like that. It was strange... perhaps she did have some sort of link with her namesake***... The thought made the Gryffindor laugh, but stranger things had happened. Stranger things indeed.

* * *

"**You will be going to the dance."** Dane said, watching Scorpius dress while lying in the bed, the green sheets covering half of him. Scorpius didn't say anything or give any indication that he'd heard. Dane waited a moment, before his eyes narrowed. **"I said, you will be going to the dance."** he hissed. Scorpius looked back at him then, his uniform on, his hair straightened out and the house colors of his Prefect pin shining in the light. He looked very put together and confident. Something that Dane delighted in unsettling.

"**I heard you. Since it was not a question, there is nothing more to say."** the Malfoy replied, his light blue eyes holding no emotion whatsoever. Dane growled and jumped up, grabbing hold of his hand in a flash of movement.

"**I don't know what's gotten into you, but I love this new fire." **he said and leaned in, nipping the Slytherin's ear. Scorpius flinched and held back a cry but did not give Dane the satisfaction of letting it out. **"I will adore breaking it."** he continued and after another nip at the Malfoy's neck, he pulled away. There was a second where Scorpius stared at him, his cold eyes holding a combination of fear, sadness and murder, before he strode out of the room as confidently as ever. Dane sat back on the bed. **"Ah... So close. Soon, he'll be mine and stay that way."** he said to himself and smiled an evil smile that might have sent even Scorpius Malfoy running, who ran from nothing but himself.

* * *

Al paced in his room, his robes fluttering in a flurry as he strode quickly back and forth. Liam sat up from the bed and groaned. **"What's wrong with you anyway?"** he asked with a sigh. For a moment, it seemed as though his friend didn't answer, but after the silence, he received a reply. Not that it did him much good.

"**She said he's breaking? What did she mean?" **Albus asked, wringing his hands as he paced. **"How does she know anyway?"** he continued. Liam shrugged.

"**I have no clue who 'she' is, no clue what she meant and don't know what she's meant to know, so how the hell am I meant to answer any of your questions?"** Liam asked, sounding a little exasperated. **"Look, will you please stop pacing? You're making me dizzy." **he continued, scowling for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Albus sat and as soon as Liam saw his face, he fell silent. The Potter looked as if someone had just shot his best mother, or something of the like. **"Look, I don't mean to tease, I'm sorry."** Liam said, but Albus didn't answer. **"Will you tell me what's wrong?"** he finally said, once the silence got to be too much for him to bear. **"I've stayed quiet the last month, but honestly, what's eating you anyway?"** he asked and sat there, waiting for an answer.

"**I love him. I love him and he's with a monster... and I don't know if I can save him."** Albus whispered, not looking up. If he had, he might have been puzzled, but he didn't. There came no reply as Liam got up and walked away, silent tears streaming down his face that his best friend never saw, leaving Albus alone to believe that he'd not only turned away the one he cared about, but lost his best friend as well. He wished that he had some of the bravery his father said both of his namesakes had. He felt so lost now, and it seemed there was no one to show him the way.

* * *

_*** Cassandra was a greek prophetess of Troy who was gifted with future sight by a god, but cursed to have no one believe her. Professor Trelawney is meant to be one of her descendants._


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Apologies for the long wait, but I have a friend on my back who's finally got me back into writing this. I have added in more information about my OC's but if this is completely unwelcome, I will cut back a bit on their involvement. For now, I am using them as tools to reach my ends. Feedback on them and anything else is very welcome. Thank you for reading =)_

* * *

There were only two days until the Halloween dance and all throughout the school, there were whispers of excitement. Some people were declaring their love, others just asked for a date. Scorpius watched all of this unfold with envy in his eyes, though he did not let on. He hadn't ever had this, and wouldn't. Well... Dane had been very nice for the first couple times they spoke and 'dated' so to speak, until they got near a bedroom, then things had all changed.

If he thought Dane wasn't expecting him to go, and he didn't know what the consequences may be if he didn't show up, he wouldn't be going at all. A couple of girls had asked him casually, but none seriously (as the rumours were everywhere) and he had refused them all. He just continued with his head in the books, while the rest of the teenagers fluttered about in their happy little worlds. All but one. Even though Scorpius was ignoring Albus, he knew that the boy was out of sorts, but he figured it didn't have to do with him. After all, their altercation had been a month ago, or more now. Chances are, he'd been rejected by a girl. If he was his father, that wouldn't have been a problem. The Malfoy chuckled at that thought, before turning to other things, not thinking of the Potter boy again.

* * *

Mae twirled the end of her blonde pigtail while her friend babbled on about god knows what. She obviously wasn't listening and had her mind away, until her friend said something. **".. and then you should have seen the look on his face! He was so surprised that I seemed to know what was going on."** and immediately, Mae's ears perked up. She turned, and blinked.

"**Huh, what was that?"** she asked. Cassandra looked away from Patricia, to whom she was talking, and towards Mae.

"**You know, if you want to hear things, you should stay tuned in, dear." **Patricia teased, laughing a bit. Cassandra didn't laugh but did smile in agreement.

"**Well? Are you gonna tell me?"** Mae huffed, doing a little pout before sticking out her tongue with a smile.

"**Well, I was talking to Albus Potter yesterday and he seemed very surprised that I seemed to know what was going on in his head. I don't, but some of it is quite obvious if you know both boys. Not to mention Liam." **Cassandra explained. Mae just blinked, still in the dark.

"**Wait, does Albus go by Al?"** Mae asked, perking up, as she realized the last name was the same as the boy from the library sessions. He'd introduced himself as Al though, not Albus. Cassandra nodded, while Patricia facepalmed.

"**Yes, and I can't explain any more if you aren't going to stay quiet about this, Mae."** she replied. Even though Cassandra was a year younger than the others, she spoke as though she was far older, in this instant at least.

"**Oh, don't be so serious." **Patricia said, rolling her eyes.

"**No, but if you had a crush and probably didn't want people to know, would you want people spreading it around? I'm sure he doesn't want people to know, even if he is being terribly obvious about it."** Cassandra continued, turning back to the Slytherin.

"**I-I can be quiet!"** Mae said with some conviction and made a sign that her lips were sealed, then locked them and tossed away the invisible key.

"**Hmm... well, let's just say that there's a bit of a love triangle going on, and me and Cass here are planning to get involved and fix it." **Patricia said, leaning in with a scary smile on her face. Mae smiled right back, her eyes gleaming. Cassandra bit her lip, looking back and forth between the two before sighing. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

* * *

Al didn't know what to do. Liam wouldn't talk to him and Scorpius wouldn't even look at him. That there were dozens of couples mingling, giggling and holding hands flittering about in the halls... Well, it didn't exactly help. Al wasn't sure if he'd ever felt more alone. Sometimes, he tried to smile and make it seem as though everything was alright, but he didn't do a good job of it. Even Rose had asked him if he was alright, and she barely spoke to him in school. He hated that he was being so obvious, but couldn't seem to help it. He'd even read the book that Scorpius had left behind, even though he wasn't big on plants.

It was around dinnertime when Al was sitting in the Great Hall eating dinner that he was shaken somewhat from his reverie by an unexpected source. He'd just shoved a morsel of chicken in his mouth when he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned, he nearly choked and was sent into a coughing fit. There was a fairly short slytherin girl standing next to him with short blonde hair and a sweet smile. She looked familiar, but Al couldn't place her. When he stopped choking, he politely asked what she wanted.

**"Well, I would ask you to the dance, but I know you'll say no." **she started, and smiled again. Al just blinked, his mouth slightly open. Well... this girl was blunt to say the least. **"So, instead, I'm letting you know that you're taking me to the dance." **she said as if it was matter of fact and for sure. It was almost as if she was reminding him that he was to be taking her, which was definitely not the case.

**"W-what?"** he asked, feeling confused as to why this was happening. He didn't want to go with this girl, but she seemed determined.

**"You're coming. How else would you get to see him?"** she said and winked before walking off. She stopped when she was a few feet away and turned back. **"Meet me at the bottom of the stairs at eight."** she said and then turned and left the Great Hall. A few Gryffindors were giggling down the bench, but Al didn't really seem to hear them. At this point, shock didn't even begin to cover it. See him? What had that girl meant? And what was her name anyway?

* * *

James had definitely been in his own world. Quidditch practice was intense as well as all of his classes. Some days, he had trouble keeping up, but it was still loads of fun. Even though he was incredibly busy, he'd still noticed that something was up with Albus. The kid was nearly depressed. He refrained from saying anything to their parents, not wanting to worry them if there was no need. At one point, he'd tried to talk to Liam but had been brushed off.

He'd tried on a few occasions to trap his brother after practice, but being the captain kept him more busy and Albus had always managed to find a way to slip away without getting caught up by his brothers questions. Still, the older Potter was determined to find out soon. Maybe after the dance, when things quieted down for a bit...

* * *

Albus hadn't been the only ghost walking around. Liam wasn't doing so well either. Ever since he'd heard Al's confession, his mind had been whirling. He'd thought it was possible that Albus was in love. He had been really distracted lately, but to hear that it was a guy... Liam didn't really know how to react. He half wished he'd stayed and comforted his friend, as well as figuring out who this guy was and what was going on but it was too painful for him to even think about. Liam had once had a major crush on his friend and to hear that he was actually into guys, well, at least a bit really hurt. He was over it but still... it hurt.

Liam had been going over in his mind, trying to figure out who Al could have been talking about without directly asking because every time he looked at his friend, he felt either a flash or anger or a wave of sadness. He hated that he was so affected by that one sentence but he couldn't help it. He'd even avoided talking to James about it, knowing that the older Potter wouldn't be able to handle something like this. Not yet.

No, he couldn't handle facing his best friend yet. After the dance... after things settled down and he didn't have to watch so many lovebirds in the halls... when things were quiet... That would be the time to ask.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Again, apologies for the long wait, but I am beginning to work on this again =D Even though I have added in my OCs, I'm thinking about lessening their involvement a bit as time goes on, but still, they are proving useful for now. Anyway, feedback in general is always welcome and thank you very much for reading =)_

* * *

The morning of Halloween, the castle was abuzz earlier than would be expected. Students seemed more awake, teachers more liberal and relaxed with the homework load and everyone seemed to be in an all around good mood. At least, it seemed that way to Albus. Everyone seemed just so dang cheery and he couldn't make himself smile at all. He'd been debating not showing up when Patricia wanted to meet him but decided that not only would it be rude, it would probably be stupid. Not to be stereotypical, but she was a Slytherin and they did tend to enjoy their revenge and hated being humiliated... He also wanted to find out what she meant when she'd said Al would get to 'see him'. If it was Scorpius she was talking about, he thought it was a pretty cruel joke. The Malfoy was obviously going to with Dane that evening and seeing them together was going to be downright painful...

To everyone else, it seemed that the classes were too long and wouldn't ever end but they were speeding by much too quickly for the Potter. He thought he was the only who felt this way but there was one other...

* * *

Scorpius looked terrible... that was putting it nicely. He hadn't slept all the night before and for once, it wasn't because Dane had been visiting. No, it was the fear of humiliation. Him and Dane were somewhat known throughout the school. It was a rumor, however, they had never actually been out to a public event together like this on something that was so obviously a date. Did he care what the other students thought? No not really. His family had money and if these rumors and situations ever came back as hindrances in the future, they could be taken care of easily enough. No, it was the idea of the rumors getting back to his parents... His father... No... worse... his grandfather... Lucius Malfoy was not a man to be messed with, and even Scorpius wouldn't be able to escape his wrath.

All the joyous faces just seemed to mock him further as the hour of his possible doom drew nearer and nearer. Alright... maybe doom was taking it a bit far. But still... he did not want to risk his fathers anger. It could be... painful. He'd suffered enough when he'd gone and died part of his hair. Now that he looked like 'muggle filth', his father spoke to him very little. Not that this was such a bad thing...

Once classes finally ended, he darted to his rooms as quickly as possible to prepare. Everyone else ran to prepare as well, just not for the same things. Others were for their appearance, his was more mental. He was preparing himself to smile and pretend he meant it.

* * *

**"They look so miserable... both of them... Are you sure this is a good idea?"** Cassandra asked hesitantly with her friends as they ate lunch out on the grass. It was one of the few nice days they'd have before it began to snow and really feel like winter.

**"What do you mean? Of course it's a good idea! Al will swoop in and save the day and him and Scorpius will just be awesome together!"** Mae exclaimed, her mind going into a sort of yaoi daydream mode. Patricia rolled her eyes.

**"Sure? No. Of course not, no one can be completely sure unless we had complete control and that sort of magic is banned. Not that it would really do them good. No, it'll just have to play out like it does and we can hope it goes according to Mae's rainbow, happy, magic, lovey-dovey interpretation." **Patricia said, the last bit dripping with sarcasm. She didn't seem to like how Mae put it, but she was hoping something of that sort would happen. She knew the boys would be good for each other. Hopefully at least.

**"I just... Things are gonna go wrong, aren't they? I know... I can feel it..." **Cassandra said and sighed. She always was a little paranoid and even if she could imagine some 'happy' endings to this set up, something in the back of her mind told her that it wasn't going to go well. Something bad was in the air and it wasn't going to end in smiles... someone was going to get hurt.

**"All we can do is hope." **Patricia said with a shrug. **"The rest is up to them."**

* * *

By the time evening rolled around, Albus had managed to find his dress robes and comb his hair a bit. He hadn't seen Liam at all, but had arrived later, so he wasn't sure if his friend was going to the dance or not. He felt bad that they hadn't spoken but knew that what he'd told his best friend had put a wedge between them. He wondered if perhaps Liam was thinking back to sleepovers they'd used to have and things of the sort and was seeing them in a new light. Al hoped he wasn't... he wouldn't be able to stop it, but he didn't want those sort of things to alienate the person whom he still considered to be his best friend.

The dance started at seven but very few people arrived that early and at five to eight, Albus headed down to meet Patricia. She was already waiting when he arrived. Her short blonde hair was pulled up with small wisps about her face which was filled with irritation. Her green dress hugged her nicely and her tapping foot created ripples that were quite beautiful. If Albus hadn't already liked someone and of a different orientation, he was sure she'd be quite the catch. Her look however showed that she did not think the same of him in the least. She looked almost disgusted with his appearance. When he approached, she began ruffling his hair and straightening out his robes.

**"You're late and couldn't manage to take more care? Ugh." **she exclaimed and finally seemed to give up, looping her arm in his and leading him in to the Great Hall. It was well decorated and always amazed Al with how fast it was. At home, when decorating, his parents liked to have them do it without magic so as to make it more of a family bonding experience or something like that. Still, it looked marvelous. The banners on the ceiling were all orange and black, and had spiders crawling around them and bats flying back and forth between them. None of them seemed to descend below a certain area, however, so they were most likely illusions of some sort. The rest of the hall was still beautiful but the main attraction was definitely the cieling.

Immediately, Patricia dragged him over to the end of the refreshment table. **"Alright, look here, he's over there. Try to look without being conspicuous, ok?"** Al turned his head as she said this and spotted Scorpius dancing with Dane and felt his heart ache. He looked away almost immediately, not really being able to stand the sight of it. **"So, here's the plan..." **Patricia began, a mischievous smile dancing at the corners of her mouth.

* * *

Scorpius had just managed to wake himself up enough to look presentable and had on his black and green dress robes, representing his house proudly. He also pinned his family crest to the side of his robes. He'd decided that if he had to go out like this, he'd go out with pride. He was a Malfoy and couldn't do anything halfway. It was all or nothing. Just as he deemed himself ready to go out and meet Dane, the man himself appeared. He entered just as Scorpius was intending to leave. **"Hmm, you look good enough to eat."** Dane said with a smile, running his hands through Scorpius' long hair and pulling him close for a hard kiss. By the time he pulled away, the Slytherin was out of breath and flushed, which the Hufflepuff seemed to enjoy.

**"You'll have to wait until later."** Dane said, grinding against his 'boyfriend' lightly and tracing his lips with his fingers. With that, he took Scorpius' arms in his and began leading him towards the Great Hall. Scorpius was trying to get his blush under control, trying to regain composure. Dane always seemed to set him off balance and he didn't know what to do. He needed to be calm... dignified...

By the time they reached the Great Hall, which was fairly full already, he had regained himself and was pulled on to the dance floor by Dane. He ignored the stares from not only other students but from the teachers as well. He knew how this looked and he hated it, but he was going to pretend that this was fine. For now, it would be fine and he'd wait until later to break down. As they began to dance, Scorpius plastered a smile on his face and clenched his body tight, willing himself to look happy. He would sit through this and maintain himself, even if it killed him.


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Aha, a sooner update! :) Couldn't leave it hanging too long. Anyway, as always, any and all feedback is welcome, thank you for reading ^^_

* * *

Scorpius had lost track of how long they'd been dancing. In his opinion, too long. He'd thought that perhaps as more time went on, he would get more comfortable but this couldn't be further from the truth. The more they danced, the more he felt that people were staring, judging, whispering. All it took was for one of those whispers to reach home...

A slow song came on and Dane suddenly pulled Scorpius even closer, holding him tight. The Slytherin couldn't help it, at the sudden movement, he jerked slightly away. The moment he'd done it, he froze, and he had good reason to. Dane looked angry. Really angry. **"What do you think you're doing?"** he hissed low enough that others would have had a difficult time hearing.

**"Nothing." **Scorpius replied, and winced as Dane gripped his arm a little tighter and leaned in.

**"That's what I thought." **he said and leaned in for a kiss. Scorpius wasn't sure what made him do it. Perhaps it was fear, or pride... maybe it's because he knew that so many others were watching... But he turned his head away. This seemed to push his _'boyfriend'_ over the edge. **"You little shit!"** Dane hissed, a little louder this time. Not a yell, but definitely enough that people around could hear, and he pushed the Malfoy away, sending him crashing into someone else. The other person seemed fine, but Scorpius fell over and as he began to pick himself up, Dane grabbed his arm and yanked him up. He leaned in for another kiss, and again, the Slytherin evaded. It merely added insult upon injury. In a flash, Dane's hand had come up and slapped Scorpius across the face, his blonde hair flying wildly as the force knocked his head back. It took all his energy to keep from crying and he was seeing spots... he could barely even hear the yelling...

* * *

**"... so, we gonna go over and-" **Patricia started, with Albus listening to her intently, but she was interrupted by the sound of someone falling to the floor. Al turned around after a moment's hesitation, not wanting to piss the Slytherin girl off, knowing that it could be dangerous. She, however, also appeared to be looking. He managed to turn around just in time to catch Scorpius' hair flying as Dane slapped him across the face. All thoughts flew from his mind. He didn't stop to consider who was there, whether or not Patricia would kill him for ditching her, whether or not the teachers would stop him, but Albus Potter ran forward, pulling his wand out as he stormed over.

**"MUCUS VESPERTILONEM!"** he yelled out, his wand directed at Dane. Immediately, snot seemed to pour out of the Hufflepuff's nose and began to take a sort of form... a bat-like one, which began to slap him in the face. Al was only about ten feet away now, and the teachers were too far to do anything... yet, though they were running towards him. His wand still held out, he began crying out more spells. **"AVIS! OPPUGNO!" **he continued, summoning a flock of birds which proceeded to attack Dane, pecking at him. He was yelling and running around in circles. By this time, the teachers had reached him, looking merely at Dane, trying to reverse the spells. The birds, they managed to get rid of, but the bat-boogers seemed to puzzle them. No one seemed to know the counter spell.

James seemed to appear out of nowhere, though he'd really been spending the last thirty seconds trying to wrestle through the crowd towards his brother. Al hadn't really had to worry about that. Everyone had cleared the way the moment he pulled out his wand. **"Al, what the hell are you doing?" **he yelled out, holding his brother back, who seemed not to be finished, fighting the grip held on him to lunge at and possibly wrestle Dane.

**"DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID?" **Albus cried out, his face red with rage. James had heard commotion but didn't really know what was going on. **"HE HIT HIM! THE FUCKER HIT HIM!" **he kept yelling hysterically. James didn't know what to make of his brothers reaction, but continued holding his arms, trying desperately hold on.

**"What is wrong with you? Why are you so worked up?" **his brother asked, not yelling, but quite loudly.

**"He loves him." **A small voice said, and both James and Albus turned to see Liam smiling sadly. **"Albus is in love with Scorpius." **he said quietly.

* * *

It had only taken Liam a moment to realize what had happened and when he heard the bat-bogey hex being shouted, he knew that Al was getting himself involved. Things seemed to suddenly fit together. The anger Albus had shown hearing about Scorpius' and Dane's relationship, when Liam had insulted the Malfoy and how happy the Potter had been coming back from studying potions of all things. It was Scorpius. He was the lucky one.

Liam could see James moving to break things up, and after turning and excusing himself from his date, he began walking towards the ruckus. This was easy enough to do by the time he tried. People were backing away from the flailing Potter and flying boogers. The only ones near were a couple teachers trying to help Dane, James holding back Albus and Scorpius, sitting on the floor looking confused, his face pale and caught between horror and wonder.

He arrived just as James asked what was going on and Liam stepped forward to tell him. Deep down, he knew that this wasn't how Albus has wanted to let anyone know, had wanted to come out, but after what he'd done, there wasn't really any more sense in hiding it. James was shocked, his mouth open, and his grip released. His brother didn't even seem to notice this, however, and merely stared at his best friend, also looking confused. Liam ignored this. He hurt. A lot. But he wouldn't let them see that. He calmly walked by both Potters and offered a hand to Scorpius.

**"Are you alright?"** he asked, and smiled. It took a moment for the Slytherin to respond but he did take his hand. **"How about we get you to the hospital wing to take a look at that bruise?"** he said quietly, trying not to draw more attention seeming to sense that Scorpius was embarrassed enough. The boy just nodded and Liam proceeded to usher out his former rival in love, his heard breaking a little with each step, and healing at the same time. As hard as he had it some days, it was never as bad as Scorpius seemed to have it. At least there was something to be thankful for.

* * *

As Liam ushered Scorpius away, the teachers began to usher Dane away and quietly, James reversed the spell. He did it quietly so that no one knew how to reverse it. Knowing a hex that wasn't common really did come in handy, after all. Al stood there, not moving and at some point had dropped his wand, which James picked up. Before he could think to say or do anything, two girls came forward and began ushering Albus out of the great hall and a third girl took his arm.

**"If you'd like things explained, come with us. I hope your date won't mind." **the girl said, her eyes twinkling. Her green dress hugged her nicely and James recognized her as Al's date. Did she know everything that had happened? Had she known about Albus before? James didn't know but he allowed himself to be ushered away, hoping Reagan wouldn't mind him disappearing for awhile...

Cassandra pulled both Albus and Mae along the halls, twisting and turning a couple times before turning around a corner and stopping abruptly. **"Alohomora."** she said, unlocking a door next to them and led them into what appeared to be a small study room, almost like a teachers office but not quite.

**"What is this place?"** Mae asked, looking around, not having been here before.

**"It's an office." **Cassandra said simply, offering no more explanation than that, and led Albus to sit on a little couch and ushered Mae to sit on one of the chairs. She left the room a moment and came back in, leading Patricia and James, shutting and locking the door behind them. She continued bustling about, muttering spells and began distributing tea to everyone and finally sat down herself.

**"How did you know?"** Albus muttered after a few minutes, breaking the long silence.

**"There were different clues." **Patricia said, taking the lead, moving from her chair to sit next to him, rubbing his back. **"The way you look at him was my main clue. I'm a girl. I know what someone in love looks like. It was hard to miss since I hang out with Scorpius a fair bit." **she explained and gave a small smile.

**"Wait... how did they know what? You mean... what Liam said was true?" **James asked. Silence ensued. No one dared speak and finally, the only person who had any right to answer the question did so.

**"He's right, Jamie. I'm gay... and I'm in love with Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy..."**


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Thank you so much to 'A Grain of Sand', 'Malecforeverandalways', and 'Sunshine-aki' for the reviews :) And also, thank you to 'star2000' for kicking my butt in gear. Now that I'm done with exams for this term, I'm hoping to update a few more chapters sooner :D_

* * *

After Al had spoken, everything went quiet again, and then suddenly, James started laughing. **"Oh man, you had me there for a sec!" **he said and continued laughing. Albus looked dismayed, Mae looked shocked, Cassandra looked concerned and Patricia looked... calm? She merely stood up, walked over to the still laughing Potter and slapped him so hard that he actually fell over. **"WHAT THE HELL?"** he cried out, holding his cheek. She moved to hit him again, but Cassandra grabbed her arm.

**"Stop this. It won't help."** the Ravenclaw said softly. For a moment, Patricia didn't seem to be backing down, but did finally settle and sit next to Albus. In the meantime, Cassandra turned to James, her eyes cold and angry.

**"W-what?"** James asked, not liking the look and obviously, still not understanding.

**"He's telling the truth." **Patricia hissed, shooting her own glare towards James Potter who shivered at the sight of it. If looks could kill...

**"But... this is ridiculous, it's just... it can't... I... uh..." **James babbled, at a loss for words. His little brother was in love... Ok. He could get that far. With a boy. Nope... not really computing well... This boy is Scorpius Malfoy. OVERDRIVE! ABORT! ABORT!

It was quite obvious to everyone in the room that James was in shock and no one seemed to know what to do about it. He stood up and began pacing. Albus looked as if he was about to cry, he hated having to let him know this way. What would he tell his parents? Was Al busted?

**"Great... now they're both freaked out..." **Mae muttered under her breath. This wasn't exactly going like her yaoi comics did... And Scorpius wasn't even here...

**"Somno Iam." **Cassandra said, pointing her wand at James and then again at Albus. As soon as the spell hit them, they fell into a deep sleep and the Ravenclaw calmly walked over and began dragging the older Potter towards the couch as best she could, as if this was all normal.

**"What the?"**Mae exclaimed, for two reasons. One, the drama had suddenly ended and two, what spell was that? She hadn't actually heard it before.

**"I thought they could use some rest to let their minds relax. They're both feeling quite overwhelmed right now."** Cassandra explained, sitting down and then taking a sip of her tea. **"So, what's our plan of action?"** she asked, turning towards Patricia and for once, it seemed that the Slytherin didn't know...

* * *

The normally short walk to the hospital wing seemed to take ages. Liam and Scorpius walked in silence, the only noise in the hall being the clicking of their shoes on the floor. Finally, the awkward silence seemed almost unbearable. **"T-thank you." **Scorpius muttered in a low voice. He was a Malfoy after all, and Malfoys never apologized.

**"You're welcome. I'm Liam, by the way." **Liam introduced with a smile. They'd had a couple classes together, but had never actually been formally introduced. Scorpius did remember Liam, however, just not his name. It was hard to forget the boy that had managed to prank every teacher he'd ever had and not be expelled. The two boys then fell back into the silence. It was slightly more comfortable now, but definitely not pleasant.

**"Why did you say what you did?" **Scorpius finally asked, having had a hard time to keep from doing so.

**"Say what?" **Liam asked. Yes, he was playing dumb, but if Scorpius couldn't say it, then Albus wouldn't ever stand a chance no matter how hard he tried. As much as he was jealous of the Slytherin, he wanted his friend to be happy.

**"You know..." **Scorpius began, but was greeted with silence. **"What you said about Al..." **he blurted out. No one else would have called it that, since he was still poised (it was no doubt the Malfoy) but it was a little more rushed than he usually spoke.

**"About Al..." **Liam said with an upward inflection, pushing the Slytherin to continue and finish the sentence, ignoring that Scorpius was already calling him by his nickname.

**"Why did you say he was in love with me?"** he finished quietly, but it was a serious question. His voice held a multitude of emotions, some of which Liam could detect and the most frightening for him is that he thought he heard a little hope in there...

**"I said it because it's true. I've known for a while now that Al had someone he liked, and recently found out it was you."** Liam said simply. He didn't really want to go into detail but if pressed... well, he'd say what he could without giving himself away too much. **"We're here." **Liam said with a smile and opened the door, walking in, before Scorpius had a chance to say anything else.

Things had changed since the previous generation. There was now a few nurses, and Madame Pomfrey was still here as a sort of overseer and secretary of the hospital wing, not doing a whole lot of healing herself now. One of the nurses came over and sat Scorpius down on a bed and began observing his face and cast a spell or two to help with the healing before asking if he needed anything else. The Malfoy shook his head, and then with a curt nod, the nurse bustled away, back to other patients and duties.

**"That was fast." **Liam said with a little laugh. **"Do you want to go back to the dance?" **he asked. Scorpius didn't even hesitate, shaking his head. **"Alright. Well, I left my date back there so I better get back to her. Have a good one!" **Liam said with a little salute before walking out. He'd just disappeared from the room when he peeked his head back in. **"Oh, and Scorpius?"** The Malfoy looked up. **"Don't hurt my friend. You will regret it."** he said, then continued on his way. Liam hadn't been sure whether or not he was going to threaten Scorpius, but he felt he needed to get it out there. He didn't mean hurt by going with him when he didn't want to, but he wouldn't stand for the Slytherin leading his best friend on like that. Best friend... it was good to think that again...

* * *

Scorpius left the hospital wing feeling confused for a multitude of reasons. First off, people officially knew about Dane. Not just that they were having a relationship, which had already been rumored, but they knew what he did... He didn't know if this would stop the other boy from doing it or not. Chances are, he would just become more violent when they were behind closed doors. It was something that Scorpius wasn't looking forward to.

Then there was the matter of Albus. Love was a strong word. Too strong for him. Maybe the boy liked him? He seemed nice enough, if a little scatter brained and he couldn't push away the image of Albus Potter with his wand out, shouting hexes at Dane. He was going to be in trouble... a lot of it... Yet he'd done it anyway. The Malfoy hadn't had anyone try to protect him like that before. Of course, he'd had his family protect his reputation whenever the need arose but this... this was different.

Scorpius could almost feel himself blush at the thought of Albus holding him. Wait, why was Albus holding him in this image? Immediately, the Slytherin shook the idea out of his head. All this dreaming was preposterous. Albus Potter was exactly that, a Potter. Even if the Malfoys suddenly became approving of Scorpius' preference, Albus Potter would never be allowed. Ever.

Arriving at his dorm, he walked in and immediately went to his room, tossing his dress robes in the corner and jumping into the bed. He curled up, wrapping the blankets tightly around him and just breathed. Today had been difficult... In some ways, worse than he'd imagined, and in others better. He lay there for a while before finally letting his mind pass into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, one Potter was waking from a dreamless sleep, feeling quite dizzy. His head pounded, which only increased in intensity when he sat up quickly to figure out where he was. He was in his dorm room, still in his dress robes and it seemed to be quite late. How long had he been asleep? What had happened? Something had happened at the dance, but what? He couldn't remember.

He got up and took of his dress robes, dressing in his PJ's and immediately turned to go back to bed. Why was it his head hurt so much anyway? James Potter could only wonder.

* * *

**"Do you really think we should have done that?"** Mae whispered as the three girls walked down the hall to retrieve something she'd left at the dance.

**"Wiped his memory? Yes. He can't handle it right now, and Albus is having a hard enough time accepting it." **Patricia stated firmly, continuing on in long confident strides. Cassandra merely nodded in agreement. ** "Now, we just need to talk to Scorpius."** she finished, having Mae clap her hands in glee. Cassandra shook her head. They were in over their heads... she just knew it.


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Thank you everyone for your patience, and I hope you all had some great holidays :) I find them really stressful, so I unfortunately did not get any parts up but here's the next one and part 14 will be out on Monday or Tuesday, depending on my class schedule. Thank you for the continued support and I'm glad you guys are liking it :) _

Albus took a deep breath of the crisp December air. After an entire month, he was finally out of detentions and was able to breathe again. Him and Liam had decided to attend the Hogsmeade visit, wanting to savor this taste of freedom. He'd heard nothing of Scorpius, or Dane and Liam had been keeping his eye out. It seemed that the Hufflepuff was staying away, at least for now. Apparently Scorpius was pretty happy, and even though Albus was glad for this, he was a little sad that he wasn't part of it.

Suddenly, he was spun around as someone looped their arm through his. When he stopped flying, nearly slipping and falling on his rear, he realized that it was Liam who was smiling very brightly. He'd been smiling a lot lately, though Al didn't really know why. **"All ready?" **the boy asked, and his friend nodded. They began walking and met up with a bigger group that was already making their way towards the village. There were carriages to take them due to the snow, even though it wasn't all that far away.

**"So, what are you wanting to do, now that you're a free man?" **Liam asked. The Potter merely shrugged. Honestly, he wanted to see Scorpius and talk to him. Apologize. Explain. Anything. That wasn't really something that Liam would have wanted to hear though. **"Hmm... let's start at Honeydukes. I wanted to pick something up, and then we can head to The Three Broomsticks. Does that sound alright?" **Liam asked, but got no response, as his friend was staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. It was going to be a trying day if he didn't brighten up and Liam could only hope that the plan worked...

* * *

**"Where are they?"** Mae exclaimed, gulping down the last of her butterbeer. Patricia was supposed to have met them more than ten minutes ago. **"What if they show up and he's not here?"** she asked. Cassandra tried not to laugh at her friend. You'd think it was her own love life they were interfering with, not those of some boys she barely knew.

**"She'll be here, don't worry. Has she ever not?"** the Ravenclaw pointed out, sipping her own butterbeer which was near the top. Mae ordered another and took another gulp before setting her head down on her arms and pouting.

**"It's just not fair! I wanna see them kiss already..."** she said. Cassandra rolled her eyes.

**"I'm sure they will, but I doubt it'll be when you're watching Mae."** she said, once again trying to hold back laughter. **"I just want to see them together... I want them to notice how much they want the other..."** she said, taking another sip while staring at the door out into the billowing snow.

* * *

**"I don't want to go..." **Scorpius said with yet another sigh. He'd been feeling much better but a day out in the bitter snow just to go shopping (which he hated) was not his idea of fun. They didn't even sell the sort of things he liked. No one had anything remotely muggle and that's what he would have wanted to shop for.

**"Well, tough luck." **Patricia said, rolling her eyes. **"You can be so stubborn sometimes, cousin. Just let go. Get a butterbeer with me at least and then I'll let you go, ok?"** she offered, not letting him see her sly little smile. With another sigh, Scorpius nodded. He knew that there was no arguing with his strong-headed relative. Once she wanted something, she always got it, no matter what it was. Draco probably would have been more proud to call her kin that his own son.

Patricia finally managed to usher him into The Three Broomsticks. She immediately spotted Cassandra and Mae, who didn't appear to notice her entrance, but looked past them, scanning the rest of the comfortable inn. There was no sign of Liam and Albus yet. She was a little frustrated, since there had been a plan and she'd already stalled, but that was alright. She looked over at her friends as if she had just noticed them and exclaimed her surprise, running over with a quick instruction for Scorpius to bring them both some butterbeer.

**"How's it going?"** Cassandra asked the moment Patricia reached and she was sure the other Slytherin was out of earshot.

**"I'm lucky I got him here." **she said, rolling her eyes. **"Where the hell are those idiots?" **she hissed but immediately put a smile on her face when Scorpius looked over. She gave him a little wave before he turned back to get the butterbeer. **"They better hurry or I-" **she started, but at that moment, she felt a chill and looked over. Standing in the doorway was Liam and Albus. The Potter didn't seem to notice his love, and when pulled forward by Liam, he followed. It seemed that both boys were feeling a little glum today. The girls hoped that this wouldn't affect their planned _'impromptu meeting'_.

* * *

The timing was almost too perfect. Scorpius turned around and almost immediately ran into Albus. Surprisingly, the Gryffindor acted swiftly and caught the Malfoy, who had somehow managed to save the drinks. Both boys were silent and just stood there, staring at each other, both pale as if they'd seen ghosts. When it began getting too awkward, Liam ushered them over to a table and said he'd be right back. Scorpius didn't even mention that he needed to get back to give Patricia her drink, just let himself be sat down in silence.

As soon as he'd managed to get them both sitting at the secluded corner table, Liam made his way over to where the girls were all sitting. **"Well, I guess all we can do is wait."** he said with his quirky smile and called to the nearest barmaid, asking for some butterbeer.

* * *

The corner table remained quiet for quite some time. Scorpius offered one of the drinks to Albus without a sound, only a motion, which he accepted. The drinks were half gone before any words were uttered.

**"I'm sorry about everything..." **Albus said softly. He almost immediately wanted to smack himself. Sorry for everything? How many hundreds of times had he run through this scenario in the past weeks? This was definitely not how he'd intended it to go at all. He was about to open his mouth to repeat one of his more practiced and polished apologies when the other boy responded.

**"Why?" **Scorpius said. It was soft and nearly muffled by the glass from which he was sipping but the Potter made it out. Why was he sorry again? It seemed he forgot everything around this boy.

**"I-uh... I embarrassed you I guess. I shouldn't have jumped in." **he tried to explain, swallowing a lump in his throat with difficulty. He wanted to apologize that his love confession had come out the way it did, not even uttered by him, but didn't know how to say it.

**"Nobody else would have helped me." **the Slytherin replied, in a bitter tone. He still didn't look up and meet the other boys eyes, for which Albus was almost grateful. Almost.

**"Yeah but the things... that were said... I just.. I..." **he stammered before falling quiet. Nothing in his head was coming out the way it was meant to. He almost didn't want to say what had been said that day for fear of rejection. He'd never actually had the opportunity to receive what he believed was inevitable.

**"What was said..." **Scorpius started, and stopped. Both boys stayed silent. **"... I'm... confused."** he said, saying no more, taking another sip. Albus Potter blushed deeply. Was the Malfoy asking him to clarify? Did he want him to say it again? It seemed that way, but he wasn't sure why.

**"You mean... what Liam said?" **he asked. He didn't receive a spoken answer, but Scorpius gave him a look that he understood. His gray-blue eyes burned into the Gryffindor. **"You mean when said I loved you..." **Albus said, trailing off, looking away, his face now burning even more fiercely. If Scorpius hadn't been sure that Liam was telling the truth when they'd spoken before, he'd have to know now, at the Potters reaction. **"He's right." **Albus finally said after a few minutes. Now it was Scorpius' turn to look away. This was something he'd been wanting to do. He'd wanted confirmation. Ok... now he had it... so... what next?

**"Why?" **Scorpius finally decided on asking. How could this boy love him? Then he looked the Potter in the eye. Both boys went quiet again. Green eyes met blue and the world suddenly seemed to stop. They were seeing each other in a new light, each one hoping a little bit, and assuming the worst at the same time.

**"Because you're you."** Albus finally answered and smiled. Suddenly, at least for a moment, he was unafraid. It was almost as if he was suddenly free of all embarrassment, as if he could speak his mind. He loved this boy, and nothing anyone else did would change that. The only question is... what would he say?

* * *

No one was sure who moved first, or if both moved or what even happened, but suddenly, the two boys lips met. It was brief, and they pulled back, eyes wide and smiles shy. From three tables over, a particular excited Hufflepuff was being held down from jumping up in her chair, exclaiming **"YES!" **but neither boy noticed it at all. They were in their own world, and for once, they weren't alone there.

* * *

_Omg! First kiss? Yes. I figured I should make it a nice update after that absence . But no, these guys aren't out of trouble yet. Dane's still lurking around and then there's the issues of telling the parents... Oh joy... :) I hope you guys liked it, let me know what you thought ^^_


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Warning: There is BoyXBoy action in this story (this is not explicit in this chapter) if you don't like it, don't read it._

_Notes from the Author:_

_Thank you so much everyone and thanks to star2000 for the review and the push for me to plan this story out and to get writing more chapters sooner. I have now determined how many parts there will be and if there is enough interest, I will write a sequel. Thank you for reading and don't forget to let me know what you think :)_

* * *

It had been a week since the trip to Hogsmeade and nothing else had really happened between the boys, much to Mae's disappointment. They gave each other some peculiar looks in the hall or in class but nothing else seemed to be out of the ordinary, to the unknowing observer. If one looked close enough, they'd see the faint blush on Scorpius' cheeks and his shy smile when Albus looked his way. The shit-eating grin on Albus was hard to miss as well, when he was around the Slytherin.

And so it came to pass that the tutoring began again. The potions master was glad that the boys had worked out whatever spat or differences they'd had, because he didn't really want to have to fail a Potter. Especially when he believed that the boy had the potential to do so well.

Albus walked down the library with his potions books and with '_1001 Potion Ingredients you can Grow Yourself'_, which he'd finally be able to return. Scorpius was waiting in their usual spot from before, once again poring over a book. Al took the time to drink in the sight, glad to be able to think of him in a certain way and to actually be standing next to the Slytherin again. Finally, he made his way towards the table and set his bag down. Just as when they first started, Scorpius did not look up but finished either his sentence, paragraph or page (Albus wasn't really sure which) and then shut his book, looking up. His gaze was normal as it had been before, except for the hint of a shy smile on his face, but it disappeared almost instantly as it grew serious.

**"So, how have your studies been going since our... last meeting."** Scorpius said, pausing for a moment as if not knowing what to call their last tutoring session. A fight, he supposed, but was not really sure if he could call it that. It had been Albus being stubborn and him running away. Did that count as a fight?

**"Uh... fine?"** Albus said, and put his hand on the back of his head and sighed. **"Ok, so not so good, but I can definitely improve!"** he said with reassurance and began pulling out his books, while Scorpius looked on with disdain. The last one he pulled out was the herbology book that he'd taken last time and he handed it over. **"This is from last time... You forgot it and wouldn't speak to me so I didn't really get the chance to return it." **he said. Scorpius smiled and thanked him. Both boys ignored that the Potter could have given it to someone else to return, it seemed that this solution was besides the point.

**"Alright, I suppose we should get started. Show me that last written test and we'll see where you need to concentrate on most." **Scorpius began, once again, all business. Albus did so and with that guide they moved onto the most troubling and difficult subjects first. Well... subject. They didn't really get past more than one.

When they had been tutoring before, the sessions had never extended over two hours and usually was only around one, but since they met a little earlier now, it was a little past two hours that their session was interrupted. A girl walked by them quickly, but neither looked up and then suddenly both turned as they heard a little cry. They looked up to see Patricia pulling Mae along by the arm from a small alcove near the boys that would have hidden her from their view. The Slytherin was muttering things to her friend that neither boy could hear, but she seemed to be a little pissed off, at least.

The girls drew near and Patricia nodded to Scorpius, which between them would have signified an apology. Pure bloods didn't like to apologize, most at least. Especially those in Slytherin it seemed, but whatever transpired in that nod was understood by both parties. Scorpius reached over and picked up the book that Albus had returned to him and held it out to her.

**"I finally found that book of yours I thought I'd lost."** he said and Patricia took it. Again, no apologies were uttered but there was an understanding.

**"I'll just get this fool out of your way. You two enjoy your studying." **she said and walked away, still pulling Mae who seemed to be fighting back. Most of what she said was unintelligible but just as she was about to leave the library, both boys could distinctly hear her whining and complaining that she hadn't gotten to see them kiss yet. Albus stared after them, shocked at what he had just heard and when he turned back, Scorpius' face was still beet red. They gave each other a different sort of look, but the Slytherin broke the gaze and turned back to the books. Half an hour later, they packed up to go, as it was nearing curfew and they parted ways with a light kiss, which had Albus giddy and floating on air all the way back to the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

James looked over his fifth Quidditch strategy of the evening for the fourth time. His mind wasn't registering of functioning properly. The ideas had been building up for a while now, but it was really beginning to affect him. He had a nagging sensation in the back of his mind that something important was going on with his little brother. Something strange or bad had happened and for some reason, he couldn't remembered it. He hadn't been able to bring himself to ask anyone about what had happened at the dance except Reagan who had avoided the question entirely and had given him a look so full of hurt that he felt like a jerk without even knowing what he'd done. The Potter had apologized which it seemed had helped her a bit, but he still didn't know what he had apologized for.

Finally, the Gryffindor but the plans away and decided to turn in. He wasn't fit to be learning anything it seemed and lay in bed awake for quite some time, trying to remember what it was he desperately could not.

* * *

Dane Equerra sat in the Hufflepuff common room brooding. No one bothered him, especially when he got like this. He had friends but they knew to stay away. No one in the entire house ever mentioned what had happened at the Halloween dance when there was even the slightest chance that Dane was around. Surely, it might have been talked about by some teenage girls in their bathroom, but nothing was uttered within his earshot. He was bitter and everyone knew it.

He would have Scorpius back. He was beginning to see that sweet smile of the Slytherin that he'd had before their relationship and wanted to wipe it off his face. No one should be permitted to see it but him. He had to figure out a way to get this Albus Potter out of the picture and soon, before his property forgot who it belonged to.

* * *

Scorpius had been laying awake in his room for quite some time. His enchanted window offered no moonlight as outside appeared to be cloudy, and for this he was a bit glad. He sat in the darkness thinking about many things. Thinking about Dane, which he tried to push away, and thinking about Albus which he also pushed away, but for different reasons. Mostly, he thought of his father, which elicited shudders and then his grandfather, which elicited terror itself. What if they ever found out? His orientation was one thing, he knew that at least his grandfather had once had things speculated about him. Malfoys had enough money that it wasn't really a problem. The problem was that not only was he the 'bitch' so to speak, which no Malfoy would tolerate (but him it seemed), he was also with a Potter.

They hadn't ever officially said they were going out, much like with Dane, but they were taking things slowly. Scorpius hated hoping that it would be very slowly and wished he could tell the Gryffindor some of his worries. This was strange as he'd never had the urge to share and divulge before. Still, he wanted the boy to know that this would be the reason for reluctance.

All of the sudden, he heard the shifting of something and sat straight up in bed, staring towards the door. He knew that sound well and terror gripped him. He thought to whisper out Dane's name, afraid that the Hufflepuff had snuck into his room as he had so many times in the past. Shortly after Halloween, the Slytherin house password had changed but who knew if he'd aquired it yet.

There was a shift of weight on the lower end of the bed and immediately, Scorpius' fearful gaze shifted to a proud one. He would not show fear, not this time. **"Come out. I know you're there."** he said, his voice strong and he hoped that he'd be able to keep it that way.

**"Aw, I was hoping I'd get to wake you up with a kiss."** a voice came from the darkness and then suddenly, someone was there and to Scorpius' surprise, it wasn't Dane. He smiled as Albus leaned in and gave him a kiss. **"I just wanted to see you and wish you goodnight. I couldn't sleep." **he said and Scorpius pulled him into a tight hug and actually began sobbing into his shoulder. He had been so afraid that it was Dane, and the Potter comforted him, not knowing why but enjoying the contact. They sat there for quite some time before Albus took his cloak, which he told Scorpius was what had allowed him to get around undetected, and disappeared into the night. It didn't take long before the Slytherin fell into a deep sleep with a smile still on his face.

* * *

_Special Note: Update schedule for this story (and others when I begin them) can be found on my profile ^^_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Warning: There is BoyXBoy action in this story (this is not explicit in this chapter) if you don't like it, don't read it._

_Notes from the Author:_

_A part... on time? Yes. It is a little late in the day and for that I apologize. I had the chapter nearly finished but had to go into work, so here it is afterwards. I hope you enjoy it and also, I do mention Christmas a lot in here and I don't mean to offend those that don't celebrate it. It's what was used in the original books and so I stuck with it. I just don't want anyone jumping the gun on that, I realize. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think. I love reviews and messages in general! ^^_

* * *

Albus walked up to the entrance to the Great Hall where he could see a certain blonde head looking in the other direction. He put his things down quietly and walked up right behind him, pulling the other boy into his arms. Scorpius tensed up for a moment until he turned his head and saw who it was. He offered a small smile. **"I'm going to miss you." **Albus muttered quietly. Scorpius didn't say anything just nodded, his eyes holding a combination of affection and sadness. Though it had been a month together already, it seemed that Christmas vacation had come much too soon. **"Will I get to see you?" **he asked.

**"I don't know." **Scorpius answered honestly. **"We'll have to see." **And with a quick look around and to make sure no one was looking, he gave his boyfriend a kiss and then pulled away. With an adjustment of the posture and without looking back, he stepped out into the courtyard where the carriages were waiting. Albus wished it didn't have to be that way, but he knew that Scorpius' family would probably be a lot less accepting of him that Albus' own. A quick tap on the shoulder sent him almost jumping in the air.

**"Hey, so what are you gonna tell your parents?" **Liam asked.

**"Tell them? Not a damn thing. They don't need to know anything, not yet." **he said and smiled. **"Are you still coming over for New Years?" **he asked and Liam nodded.

**"Wouldn't miss it. Have a good holidays, lover boy!" **he said, and ran out to the carriages. Albus gathered his stuff back up and headed out to the train. Scorpius was already gone and Liam was heading down to where his parents were waiting, on the edge of the grounds. He was going on vacation and they were apparating immediately. He was the only one on the train among his friends, to his knowledge at least, and spend most of it reading. Well, at least he was pretending to read. His mind was truly somewhere else, wishing that Christmas would hurry up and be over.

* * *

Scorpius made it out to the courtyard where some carriages were waiting. His was easy enough to spot. It always was. It was black like the others, but quite elaborate and drawn by some sort of flying creatures that the Malfoy didn't care to learn about. It also sported some engravings and curtains, both of which were done in green and silver, proclaiming their proud Slytherin heritage. It made Scorpius think of the first day that he'd gone to Hogwarts. He'd been terrified to be in Slytherin and terrified he wouldn't be. In the end, he was pretty sure he'd gotten the less of two evils.

No one was in the carriage, as usual, and once he'd stepped in and had pulled his bag inside, the creatures up front began to move. Scorpius moved quickly to shut the door and as soon as he had, the creatures took off with a cry through the air that terrified the Malfoy, though he wouldn't dare let anyone see it.

As soon as his home came into view, Scorpius began to steel himself, ready to be possibly interrogated. If any rumours had gotten back... well, the holidays would be interesting. He made sure to empty his mind almost completely of school and as difficult as it was, Albus as well. There was no way that he wanted anyone finding out, especially his grandfather who would take it a lot differently than his father... With a deep breath, he left the carriage and made his way inside.

* * *

It took all of an hour for the Potters to begin asking what the middle child was so happy about. Albus couldn't seem to stop being cheery, or at least a lot cheerier than they were used to. They were used to a broody almost angry boy and one who hated to be called his full name. When his mother had asked him to set the table for the third time, she'd used his full name and he hadn't glared at her or anything. He was civil at supper and James found his parents pumping him for information that he couldn't really offer. All in all, there was definitely something different about Albus Potter this Christmas.

Anytime Albus wasn't with the family, which was a fair bit, he was in his room on his computer. He was kinda glad that his family tried their best to integrate with the muggle world, as had many families after the second and final death of Voldemort. There wasn't really any internet for the wizarding world, and everything was in books. That was definitely something that had to be updated... They needed a World Wide Wizarding Web didn't they...

Albus found himself searching up a little bit more about the muggle 'punk' culture. He hadn't really seen it in his elementary school and it wasn't terribly common at Hogwarts, but it was there. Him and Scorpius had listened to a little of his music together and Albus found himself liking it and wanting to learn more.

The day before Christmas, before the entire crew was to meet for dinner, Albus dragged Lily out under the pretense of buying a last minute present. This was only half true. He did pick a little something up and it was for Scorpius. Prior to that, almost everyone had been with him while shopping and he didn't want to have to explain it. Lily, who talked to Liam a bit, knew and just went along with the plan. No one had even thought to pump her for information. Perhaps it's because she was the only girl, or maybe because she was the youngest. Most likely, it was because she knew how to play innocent... she knew how to play it very well...

As well as picking up the present for Scorpius, he picked up something else and later afternoon, he got Lily to help him use it. Before the whole family arrived, he died his hair a combination of black with some blue streaks. He'd found a photo or two online and had really liked the look of it. In the back of his mind, he wanted to tell Scorpius and know if he'd approve, but he didn't, knowing that the boys had virtually no way to contact each other while apart. His present would change that but... it changed nothing now.

To say that the Weasleys, Grangers (Hermione's parents that is), the Delacoeurs and the Potters were... disapproving of the change in Albus was an understatement. Except Lily, Fred and George, of course. They had grown up a bit, but not that much and relished in all forms of rebellion even if didn't happen to be their own. No one really asked why, and Albus offered no answer. It was a secret for him and something he didn't want to share, not yet. Every time he touched his hair or looked in the mirror, he thought of Scorpius and it made him smile.

* * *

Christmas dinner was a quiet affair in the Malfoy abode. There was no real family dinner and Scorpius had forgotten that his father and mother had left for vacation two days before he'd gotten out of school. He ate quietly with his grandfather and the two dogs in the corner. It was lonely and the Malfoy had to be careful not to let his mind stray to Albus and wondering what he might be doing. Something about Lucius Malfoy made him nervous and the older man always seemed to know what the young boy was thinking.

**"Sit up straight."** the elder said, barely even looking up from his plate. Scorpius did, his back straight up. He didn't look towards his grandfather but could almost feel his disapproving gaze. His grandfather disapproved of most that he did, but it was thanks to him that he'd been allowed to keep his long hair, even after the black had been added. Lucius felt that it was a bit of a homage to him and Scorpius didn't dare dispute the fact. **"I've heard some rumors."** Lucius stated, finishing his meal. His grandson didn't reply. It hadn't been a question and he knew better. **"Something about a dispute at the Halloween dance."** he continued, sounding as if he was talking about something boring, like the weather. **"I believe you should be careful, **_**child**_**."**he finished, the word 'child' said with emphasis, as if telling Scorpius that he was a boy and one who knew nothing.

**"Yes sir." **Scorpius said softly, but there was still a hint of pride in his voice, and respect. If he didn't speak this way, especially at home... well, he knew the consequences. **"May I be excused?"** he asked. His meal was not finished, but he set his napkin down as if he was. Lucius didn't answer, but just waved the boy out. Scorpius began to walk from the room, but one of the dogs in the corner barked. He flinched and when one began to chase after him, he walked briskly from the room and ended up running out, slamming the door behind him.

The Malfoy stood in the hallway leaning against the door for a spell, his heart beating quickly, his breath coming in gasps and tears almost falling from his eyes. For a moment he wondered, as he had before, who he was more scared of. His grandfather? Or his grandfathers dogs?

* * *

_Hey, I would love to hear any feedback you have for this chapter and the story in general. I want to know if there's enough interest for me to plan out a sequel (this will be 30 parts when finished but I do have more ideas). No need, but I would like to know if people have any issues and interest in this story continuing on. Thank you ^^_


	16. Update!

_Hello readers of Just Say It. If you're a little P.O.'d at my lack of update when I said there would be one (I would be…) I wish to apologize. I've been having some computer hardware issues the last couple of days and am seeing about trying to get it fixed but I'm a little strapped for cash. I'm not sure how long it will take, and even though I have access to other computers, I don't have access to my plan. If I find a way to get this information, I shall._

_What does all of this translate to? This story will have to be temporarily put on hiatus until my computer troubles subside. Thank you for your understanding and apologies to all! _


	17. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Warning: There is BoyXBoy action in this story (there is not too much in this chapter) if you don't like it, don't read it._

_Notes from the Author:_

_This story is unfortunately, still on hiatus. I still have no computer :( I figured out what was wrong with it and will be sending it off tomorrow *sigh* It took me awhile because of some crap, but yeah. Anyway, school computers have saved me. I wrote most of this part out on paper, which takes so much longer because I can type about 5x faster than I can write it out. For instance, this chapter took me 15-18 minutes to type... -_-; anyway, I will be trying to update from school computers when I can. Thank you for your continued patience. I hope you enjoy the part ^^  
_

* * *

To Scorpius, Christmas had been very quiet. He was used to this, to some extent, but this was the first time in four years that he'd spent it alone with his grandfather. To say that all the quality time was awkward, wouldn't be doing it enough credit. The young Malfoy had ended up spending the majority of his time in his room to avoid both his grandparent and the mans dogs. Lucius wasn't terribly appreciative of this, but decided that it must be a form of teen angst. The important thing that the boy was controlled and poised around others, as a Malfoy should be.

Scorpius evaded Lucius' eye for the most part, save for mealtimes, but knew that he'd have nowhere to hide once the New Year's party began. Every year, the Malfoys threw a party. The majority were family, though only the pure blooded members of course, and others were some of the elite in the ministry. Every year during this party, Scorpius felt so stifled. He wondered if he was the only one who attended who felt this way and thought that the pure blooded elitist outlook was just getting silly. He knew of only one other person who must agree with him, though she had never said it outright. After all, one of Patricia's closest friends was muggle-born.

As expected, the party was stuffy. Scorpius stood off on his own for the most part, watching his parents and others interact, making polite conversation. It was so boring, but he didn't let on that he felt this way, of course. He searched for a friendly face or at least one that seemed to be able to make normal conversation, but had no luck. About two hours in, he resigned to the fact that he'd find no one and decided that Patricia must not have attended. He couldn't blame her. It was another half an hour later before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see his cousin looking down on his sitting form, a pissed off expression dusting her face.

**"Well? Are you coming?"** she asked impatiently. One of his eyebrows raised in question.

**"Coming? Where?"** he asked, not really understanding where she meant to go.

**"Does it matter? Just not here."** She said, saying the last part a little lower so that others wouldn't hear. It didn't even take a full moment of thought for Scorpius to decide and he followed the cousin from the room, unaware of his grandfathers gaze watching him leave the room of people.

She dragged him first up to his room to change out of his dress robes and then with some floo powder she must have slipped into her pocket, they set out for London to have some actual fun on New Years Eve. They were teenagers after all.

* * *

That morning, Albus had been excited to head out. Him and Liam were going to hang out, maybe catch a couple sales and celebrate New Years out of the house. The key word here? Had. He had been excited… until Lily had wheedled her way in. She begged to go too, apparently wanting to catch a certain store that they'd be passing. He said no, of course. Multiple times, in fact, but she'd gone to a higher power. Namely, his parents. They made him agree to let her tag along and watch after her. A part of him, bitter about the decision, wondered if this was part of his punishment for 'ruining' his hair.

So, come early afternoon, when Liam showed up, both of the younger Potters were ready. It seemed that though Liam was surprised, he was less sour about the turn of events than Albus, but he knew that the boy would cheer up if everything went according to plan.

To his surprise, Albus was virtually left on his own and only had to follow. His sister seemed to latch onto his friend and began dragging him from store to store. It didn't take long before Albus was laughing at the situation, especially when he caught Liam's expressions which were usually a mixture of fear and pleading for help. The Potter offered no help for two reasons. One being that all of this was just too funny, and the second, a matter of experience. Lily had quite the temper when she got frustrated and most, if not all, of her threats were to be taken entirely seriously.

* * *

It was nearing evening when they met up. The Potter and Liam had stopped for food. Pizza, to be precise. Just as they were beginning to eat, they walked in. Even in muggle clothing, Albus recognized his boyfriend immediately. The Malfoy had his blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and was wearing a tight fitting green shirt with black jeans. To Albus, he looked beautiful. He carefully and quietly, wriggled his way out of the booth and snuck up, wrapping his arms around Scorpius from behind. The other boy stiffened and turned, his slate colored eyes clouded with confusion. It took him a moment to realize that the boy in front of him was, in fact, Albus Potter.

**"I missed you."** Albus whispered, pulling away from the Malfoy, a faint blush decorating his cheeks. For a moment, Scorpius hesitated and looked around. There was no one that he knew besides the group at Albus' table and Patricia who was ordering their food. He leaned in close.

**"I missed you too."** he whispered in the Potters hear, sending shivers through him. Albus wondered if Scorpius had known and done it on purpose or not. They stared into each others eyes for a few moments, each smiling as if they knew shared a secret that no one else knew. Before he got the chance to muster up the courage to ask Scorpius if his reaction had been pre-meditated, the boys were interrupted by a little cry from Patricia.

**"Holy! What did you do to your hair?"** she asked, most likely a little louder than she meant to. Albus reached up, touching the tips of his fairly new-dyed hair. It had been nearly two weeks since he'd dyed it and had actually nearly forgotten. It also hadn't crossed his mind that Scorpius hadn't seen it yet.

**"Uh… Dyed it?"** he offered as an answer with a bit of an embarrassed smile on his face. Patricia gave him a look that appeared to sit somewhere between a smirk and a smile, but the Potters attention was not on her, it was on his boyfriend. Inside, he relished once more to be able to think of the Malfoy as this, but while looking at Scorpius, he searched for some form of approval. Or not. If Scorpius either approved or disapproved of this change, he made no sign.

The three of them sat in the booth with only a slight amount of squishing. Albus picked at his pizza, uncertain of how to feel. Everywhere between him and Scorpius that touched sent shivers through him, but he couldn't concentrate on it. It wasn't until the new food arrived that Scorpius leaned over and spoke once again in the Potters ear, eliciting the same shivers as before.

**"I don't know why you did it and would like to know. But it looks good on you."** Scorpius whispered. When he pulled away, the Potter was bright red, making his Weasley heritage a bit more apparent. It seemed, at that moment, that Patricia had looked over and suddenly a sharp pain went through Albus' shoulder. He turned to see Scorpius rubbing his shoulder as well.

**"Not while I'm sitting next to you."** she scolded and went back to her food and conversation that she was having with Lily. Liam gave Albus a smile that teased and approved at the same time, but the attention brought to what had happened just made the Potter blush more.

By the time they left the restaurant, his cheeks had finally cooled and the group continued on all together. Now, both Lily and Patricia were leading the troupe around, but Albus definitely didn't mind. He walked hand in hand with Scorpius, giving him little smiles as they walked through the streets in public. It didn't matter that it was muggles, he just relished that they were able to walk next to each other like this without fear.

As much as Albus enjoyed it, Scorpius was afraid. Whenever his boyfriend wasn't looking, he'd scan around, making sure that no one he knew saw them. He hated having to do this and wished he could show others, but the risk of it getting back to his father or worse, grandfather, was just too terrifying. But he didn't see anyone he recognized and after some time, managed to calm down a little bit.

* * *

The group stayed in London until the countdown started and as the others were counting down, Albus pulled Scorpius away a bit, so that they were a little more secluded, even if it was only a slight bit. **"I love you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."** Albus said, leaning in and sharing a kiss as the clock stuck midnight.

It was going to be a good year.


	18. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Warning: There is BoyXBoy action in this story (there is not too much in this chapter) if you don't like it, don't read it._

_Notes from the Author:_

_I want to apologize for not posting in so long. I have recently lost my family rabbit of ten years and it hit me pretty hard, not to mention being swamped with homework. However, with some prodding by a friend of mine, I'm getting back into writing and it seems to be helping :) Next chapter should be up some time on Thursday. Thank you for sticking with me! And sorry again._

_PS: Oh... there's not all that much Scorpius/Albus action in this chapter, but don't worry. It's coming! I promise :)_

* * *

The day after everyone had returned to Hogwarts, classes were back in full swing. The teachers seemed to have come back from the vacation fully rested and ready to give homework. Though very few students were already concerned with their exams, the professors were fretting and all the students were groaning. No… most students. Cassandra didn't seem to mind with frustrated Mae, and Albus Potter seemed to be untouchable by anything negative. He spent most of his free time with Scorpius Malfoy and would sometimes even sit at the Slytherin table, so as to eat with him.

Though the Potter didn't seem to be very concerned with what others thought, the Malfoy was more precautions and wary. His family would have been shamed to learn about Dane, but to know that he was with a Potter? It would be even more shameful. He wished he didn't have to be so concerned and every once in a while, he allowed himself to be almost lost in a moment. But never fully… he couldn't take that risk…

Many students noticed this new friendship, of sorts. One of whom gave the most glares was, of course, Dane Equerra. He seemed to be downright hostile to everyone these days and few people really knew why and even fewer knew the whole story. The person he was most nasty with was Albus, which was no surprise, but he was downright nice to Scorpius, which the Malfoy didn't really understand. He assumed that it had something to do with his family name. The Malfoys had a lot of connections, and having that against you could be more than just a little unsettling.

Dane's attitude was talked about by a few people, but mostly by Mae. **"He's just always so cranky! All vacation, he was unbearable to live with."** Mae exclaimed while sitting in the library one day. Albus, who was studying with Scorpius at the other end of the table, looked up with an expression of surprise.

"**All vacation?"** he asked. Mae shrugged.

"**Well, yeah. He just kept whining. Of course, since he's mom's only son, nobody said a damn thing." **she said with a sigh. **"He isn't even hers…"** she muttered under her breath. Patricia, who was sitting across from her, doing some homework for ancient runes, smirked at the complaint.

"**He's your brother?"** Albus exclaimed once more, louder this time, and received a loud shush from the librarian.

"**Step-brother."** Mae replied back, more quietly so as not to get in trouble herself. No one seemed surprised by this turn of events except for Albus and with a little prodding by Scorpius, he returned to his work. Scorpius hadn't known who Dane's step-sister had been, but when they had once talked, he'd complained about her often. It just went to show Dane's judging of character was more than a little off.

"**So, then why didn't you come out for New Years?"** Patricia asked her friend who shrugged in reply.

"**Mom wouldn't let me out."** Mae answered. **"Hey, what's that?"** she asked, pulling at an envelope sticking out of the back of Patricia's textbook. The Slytherin quickly snatched it out of her hands and proceeded to stuff it in her bag.

"**Nothing."** she said with a scowl and everyone at the table, seeing her expression, decided to leave it at that.

* * *

Of course, Dane wasn't the only one who reacted more erratically with the turn of events. One Jamie Potter was quite concerned. He had a nagging feeling that something was going on between those two, he just didn't know what. People are usually blind to what they don't want to see, after all.

Finally, one day, he confronted Patricia about it. There were a couple reasons for this. For one, he was too nervous to approach Albus himself, and was uncertain about whether or not his brother would lie to him. The other was that she was the first he saw after he'd decided to go after confrontation. **"Alright, that's it. Tell me what the hell is going on!" **he said in the middle of the hallway, drawing more than just a few stares.

"**Excuse me?"** Patricia asked, her blue eyes flaring with anger. How dare this boy talk to her this way!

"**Between my brother and Scorpius Malfoy. Do you know what's going on?" ** he asked, still sounding frustrated but not quite so angry. Patricia merely rolled her eyes.

"**What have you been drinking, James? Holding in there?"** she asked. **"You don't have a fever do you?"** Patricia said all of this in a caring tone but her underlying smirk gave her away.

"**I-no! I need to know what's going on!"** he said. He was holding the front of her robes now, and the Slytherin didn't really know what he'd do. That made two of them. Luckily, neither had to find out, because at that moment, James was hurled off of Patricia and magically dragged down a hallway by a certain Ravenclaw who just looked back at her friend with a smile and kept walking. She put her head back in her book, as it was quite interesting, but kept her wand out, dragging the Gryffindor along until they reached her office, which she pulled him into. Leaving him in a pile on the floor, Cassandra proceeded to make tea. When it was done moments later, she looked back at James who was still sitting on the floor, looking very confused.

"**Well? Take a seat. I'll explain things."** she said very calmly, as if she hadn't just dragged him half way across the school. Cautiously, the Potter did as she asked. **"Sugar?"** she said, and didn't look up to see his nod, merely added two teaspoons of sugar and handed it to him. He didn't even bother to ask how she knew the amount of sugar he liked... **"You know, you're lucky you didn't do anything to Patricia. She knows a good number of painful hexes and she would have had the right to use them."** she said so calmly that it was as if she was talking of the weather. She took a sip of tea. James didn't follow suit. Who was this girl? Wasn't she in a couple of his classes? Or was he just imagining that…

"**You want to know what's going on between your brother and Scorpius Malfoy. I will tell you on one condition."**she said, taking another sip. **"You will not tell your parents, or anyone really. Yes, I quite like that. Don't tell anyone."** she continued with a smile, looking a little proud of herself.

"**Uh.. ok… I guess…" **James agreed, still feeling confused.

"**Your brother and Scorpius Malfoy are dating. Your brother is in love with another boy, and it happens to be a Malfoy. No, you're not dreaming. No, I'm not joking. Yes, your brother is gay."** Cassandra said slowly and calmly, before taking another sip of tea. James just sat there, his mouth wide open and nearly dropped his tea, but it was caught magically by the girl who set it on the table.

"**So… did you have any more questions? If you drink your tea, I could tell you a bit of your future." **she said, giving him a smile. James just shook his head and left, feeling shocked and confused. His little brother was gay? How hadn't he known! He had to tell his parents! Wait… he'd said he wouldn't… Part of him didn't want to keep his parents in the dark and another didn't want to betray his brother. The third part won out, being the part afraid for his skin. He'd seen the cold look in the Ravenclaw girl's eyes when she'd told him to keep quiet. James Potter resolved he'd tell If he had to… but otherwise, he'd just keep it to himself.

* * *

It was nearing the end of January and Scorpius was beginning to worry for his Defence Against the Dark Arts final. He was having some issues grasping some of the spells, and he knew that a good number of them would be on the exam. Protective spells were his worst and they were one of the most concentrated chapters now, especially after what had happened with Voldemort when his father was in school.

Sensing his distress, Albus managed to drag the information out of his boyfriend and made a rendez-vous time with him at the room of requirement. When Scorpius had asked why, the Potter had replied that he'd help tutor him. It was the least he could do after all the Slytherin's help with Potions.

Their training took place fairly late in the evening, but not after hours, and after two hours, Scorpius was feeling a little better. Little, of course, being the key word. When it came to the end of the night, the boys made their way down to the main hall where they'd branch off, each to their own dormitory. Before the Malfoy left, Albus caught his hand and pulled him close.

"**Good night…"** he whispered and the boys kissed. It was Scorpius who pulled away first, looking at his boyfriend with a mild expression of fear, then headed off to the dungeons without a reply. Albus headed back to his own dormitory and struggled to sleep. When he finally did, he dreamed once more of Scorpius' eyes, as he often had before. He wished that he could remove the fear that was in them, and began to wonder what it was that his boyfriend was so afraid of.


	19. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from the original series, I do however own my OC's and this story. Please do not copy or reproduce without my permission. Thank you._

_Warning: There is BoyXBoy action in this story (there is not too much in this chapter) if you don't like it, don't read it._

_Notes from the Author:_

_A part on time. Barely, but on time. According to my clock, it's 11:30, so this is going up near midnight, but I've managed it. Next one should be earlier in the day, but I didn't have much time at home today. Thank you for the support, and enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

After the first week or so, the teachers seemed to calm a little, but were still giving a lot more homework than they had before the break. Students were still groaning, but not as loudly and things were returning to normal. For most students, that is. For two people, it was getting more abnormal by the day. For James Potter, the world was just becoming more and more confusing. What Cassandra had told him was very blunt and as much as he didn't want to believe it, it was hard to fight the facts. Albus was spending so much time with the Malfoy boy, and seemed to be happier than he had been in a long time.

Jamie had even asked Liam, wanting to get an insiders view, after all, he didn't know how well the Ravenclaw girl actually knew his brother. However, the other Gryffindor merely confirmed what she'd said and it turns out, they all knew his brother a lot better than he did. Part of that hurt, but a bigger part of it just brought more confusion. He was having difficulty not telling his parents, especially when he received a letter asking how his siblings were. The Potters were all a little confused at their youngest sons new behavior, what with the dying of the hair and the attitude... But he held back. No. This was something Albus needed to tell them, and James Potter hoped that he would. If not, he'd say something that would definitely change everything...

* * *

Another person was experiencing a particularly abnormal week or two. One sixth year Slytherin, by the name of Patricia. The day after their discussion in the library, Mae met her friend in the hallway. **"Hey, what was that envelope, by the way?"** she asked as her, Patricia and Cassandra walked to Herbology. The Slytherin's eyes narrowed.

**"A heat source."** she hissed, looking quite angry and/or frustrated. Cassandra stifled a laugh, but Mae just look confused.

**"Whatever it was, she burned it."** the Ravenclaw clarified as they entered the greenhouse and took their place over by Scorpius who was already beginning to work. They were working with growing monkswood, otherwise known as wolfsbane. It was a deadly plant who's juice could kill, hence why it was the sixth years helping to grow it, not the second years. Professor Longbottom was even wary to get too close, as he had a habit of knocking things over. For the most part, he left Patricia in charge, as she was the student who was the most adept at the skill.

Another Ravenclaw boy joined their group and began to help them separate the different plants from each other, giving them more space to grow. Cassandra greeted him with a nod and they chatted for a moment before getting to work. To her surprise, the boy, Damien, asked to trade spots with her. WIth a shrug, she did so and received a glare from Patricia. She soon enough learned why.

**"Did you get my letter?"** the boy asked eagerly. Patricia just looked down at her work and didn't reply. He looked up at the others in confusion, not understanding why she wasn't responding.

**"Uh, I think she did."**Mae answered in her friends stead. If looks could kill (from a human at least), the Hufflepuff girl would have been dead in an instant.

**"So, uh, what did you think?"** he asked, seeming a little nervous. **"Would you like to?"** he continued when he got no response.

**"No."** Patricia said coldly and Scorpius snickered from her other side.

**"You're barking up the wrong tree, buddy."** he said, continuing to work. Damien didn't seem to understand. **"You a pure blood?"** the Slytherin asked.

**"Well, no, my mother is a muggle, but why does that matter?"** he asked.

**"Normally wouldn't, but don't worry about it. She's engaged and I doubt that you're going to be able to make a case against that considering your bloodline."** he said. Mae gasped and nearly dropped the plant she was holding, but Cassandra quickly caught it.

**"Mae! Keep your eyes on your work!" **the Ravenclaw implored. She'd read enough about these plants to know exactly how it would kill and how much it would hurt, even if she didn't die.

**"You're engaged?"** she asked, quite loudly, and the whole class looked over. There weren't many other students at this level, after all, and she was speaking quite loudly.

**"How about we discuss this at a later time?"** Cassandra suggested and the group went back to work, though Damien was much less enthusiastic this time around.

After class, Damien tried once more to talk to Patricia, but was blocked by Cassandra who advised against it and led him back to the common room, so that they could talk and she could explain some things. Meanwhile, Mae followed her friend and Scorpius tagged along, knowing that he might have to do a little damage control. His cousin probably wasn't too pleased to have her news blabbed all over. It's not like she'd gone out and chosen a fiancé at sixteen, but she was a pure-blood and a woman. Of course she'd been spoken for, but Mae as a muggle-born, wouldn't think like that.

**"So, when were you going to tell me?"** Mae asked, breaking the silence. She could sense her friends anger.

**"Never? I don't know... When I invited you to the wedding I suppose..." **she replied with a shrug. As much as Scorpius wanted to tease her a bit, he knew that she definitely wasn't in the mood. If she had her choice, she'd never be married at all.

**"Well, is he nice?"** the Hufflepuff continued to prod. Patricia shrugged.

**"I haven't met him, and don't give me that look. That's just the way things are with our society." **she blocked, and immediately began to walk off in the other direction, saying she was going to arithmancy.

**"Just don't worry about it, ok? She's a strong girl and a lot can change in two years."** Scorpius reassured before heading off to his own dorm.

**"Two years!" **Mae called after him, but received no reply.

* * *

Later that night, Scorpius lay awake waiting. Albus had been sneaking into his room almost every night. The Malfoy didn't really know how he was managing to do it, but he wasn't complaining. They mostly just talked, and he knew that Albus wanted more, but he wasn't ready to give it.

Sure enough, about an hour after the dormitory had gone quiet, Scorpius felt someone move his hair and turned to see Albus Potter sitting on his bed, smiling. **"Hey."** he whispered.

**"Hey. I don't know how long I can stay. Peeves almost heard me and he's on patrol now, looking for a student to prank."** the Potter said with a soft laugh. Scorpius smiled in return. **"So, are you ok?" ** he asked.

**"What do you mean?"** the Malfoy asked.

**"You've been kind of distant. Are we moving too fast? I'm sorry."** he blurted, almost tripping over his own words.

**"No, it's not that... it's just that... If my family ever found out..." **Scorpius said, but didn't really know how to explain. **"I'm not really in a position to be disowned, and since I'm the only one..."** he continued, but had no idea if his boyfriend could understand. He didn't know all that much about the Potters, but he knew that they were more liberal and definitely different. Albus didn't say anything, just pulled Scorpius in for a hug. They sat there awhile, just sat there.

**"I've been wanting to cuddle with you all week..."** the Gryffindor whispered and Scorpius smiled in the dark, hiding a little behind his hair. He hadn't really realized that they hadn't done this yet. He'd been so preoccupied with not being noticed, that he'd been a little distant. They stayed that way for quite a while, and Scorpius felt himself being roused out of sleep as his boyfriend pulled away. He blushed a bit, not having realized that he fell asleep.

**"I've got to go. I'll see you in the morning."** Albus said and with a smile and a kiss, he headed out into the night, leaving Scorpius alone in the dark and for once, he wasn't afraid.


End file.
